EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s “State of the Union'’ address was staged as part of the NATO crusade against Russia, including the theatrical presence of Zelenskyy’s wife, Olena Zelenska, entering the European Parliament together with von der Leyen, who was dressed in blue and yellow for the occasion. This was timed with President Zelenskyy’s surprise visit to Izyum, such that TV news programs were able to fill the gaps between live coverage of the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, with footage of First Lady Zelenska in Brussels and President Zelenskyy in reconquered territory.
In her speech, von der Leyen said sanctions are here to stay, promised blood, sweat and tears for European citizens, announced future measures to control energy prices, and a final victory against Russia. (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/ov/speech_22_5493 )
Putin’s war in Ukraine “This is a war on our energy, a war on our economy, a war on our values and a war on our future. This is about autocracy against democracy….” von der Leyen said. “It is the Kremlin that has put Russia’s economy on the path to oblivion. This is the price for Putin’s trail of death and destruction. And I want to make it very clear, the sanctions are here to stay. This is the time for us to show resolve, not appeasement.”
The EU has given so far €19 billion to Kiev and will maintain its financial support.
Of course, she blamed Russia for the tenfold increase of gas prices, and praised ceramic workers in a plant in central Italy who decided to change work shifts in order to consume energy outside peak hours. “Just imagine the parents among them,” she stated melodramatically, “having to leave home early, when the kids are still sleeping, because of a war they haven’t chosen.”
But all energy rationing and saving measures won’t be enough, so the EU is putting forward some proposals, such as “a cap on the revenues of companies that produce electricity at a low cost,” government guarantees for utilities (liquidity), decoupling the electricity price from gas prices, and a new benchmark to replace the TTF in determining gas price. All this, of course, is promised for an unspecified future date.
As if pulling out gifts from Santa Claus’s bag, von der Leyen went on announcing a Hydrogen Bank, a Critical Raw Material Act, a European Sovereign Fund and a few more amenities. She was forced to admit though, that of the fabulous €700 billion “Next Generation EU” fund established two years ago, only €100 billion have been spent (a member of the European Parliament told EIR that, in reality, not one cent has been paid).
Perhaps, the most immediately ominous project announced by von der Leyen is the “Defense of Democracy package,” an operation to expose (and punish) entities and persons that spread propaganda from autocratic regimes. She said: “Think about this: We introduced legislation to screen foreign direct investment in our companies for security concerns. If we do that for our economy, shouldn’t we do the same for our values? We need to better shield ourselves from malign interference.This is why we will present a Defense of Democracy package.”
After the ceremony, von der Leyen and Mrs. Zelenska left together to go to Kiev.
