On February 12, the European Commission presented its work program for 2025 in the European Parliament. It outlines the political priorities for the coming year. For foreign and defense policy that means: supporting Ukraine, EU enlargement, a European Defense Union, cybersecurity, a strategy for the Middle East, and – hidden in the fine print – finally a revision of our Iran policy.
Time for member states to step up
In my plenary speech, I reminded the Commission: It is not enough to have good strategies on paper if member states simply ignore them. Europe cannot afford to be weak and divided in a world full of bullies. We need a clear political direction and the courage to implement it together.
We cannot clean up every mess left behind by Trump. But we also cannot stand by while authoritarian regimes silence journalists and human rights defenders. The US has taken the lead with USAID in this area for a long time. Now it is our turn to step up.
My plenary speech:
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