State of the Union [What Think Tanks are thinking]

Written by Marcin Grajewski.

In her annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament on 13 September, the European Commission’s President, Ursula von der Leyen announced an anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles, steps to be taken to help Europe’s wind industry as well as measures to make business easier for small companies and to address the problem of labour shortages.

Von der Leyen presented her Commission as a promoter of European business and green policies, as she set out its track-record ahead of elections to the European Parliament next year. ‘In a world of uncertainty, Europe once again must answer the call of history’, she said about a wide range of policies, notably the EU’s support for Ukraine, green energy development and defence of business against unfair competition.

The Commission’s investigation could lead to countervailing duties to protect EU producers against cheaper Chinese electric vehicle imports if they are deemed to benefit from excessive state subsidies. Von der Leyen reiterated the EU’s unwavering support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s military aggression, and the possibility of the country’s EU accession one day.

This note offers links to recent commentaries and reports from international think tanks on the State of the Union and related issues. Topical papers on the war on Ukraine can be found in a recent edition of What Think Tanks are Thinking.

Reactions to the State of the Union speech

The tyranny of EU treaties
Bruegel, September 2023

Making the most of Europe’s anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles
Bruegel, September 2023

State of the Union: From Putin’s war to a trade war?
Centre for European Reform, September 2023

Rescue mission: Von der Leyen’s call of history and the rules-based global order
European Council on Foreign Relations, September 2023

The Commission’s balance sheet is positive, but the level of ambition is still too low
European Policy Centre, September 2023

Assessing the European Citizens’ Panels: Greater ambition needed
European Policy Centre, September 2023

Dear Commission President, a good speech on the State of the Union but what about defending it?
Friends of Europe, September 2023

How upbeat should the EU’s messaging be?
Friends of Europe, September 2023

Sailing on high seas: Reforming and enlarging the EU for the 21st century
Jacques Delors Institute, September 2023

Earlier publications:

The State of the European Union speech must address the return of economic policy trade-offs
Bruegel, September 2023

A new governance framework to safeguard the European Green Deal
Bruegel, September 2023

Making sense of the European Commission’s fiscal governance reform plan
Bruegel, September 2023

Can the EU be a global player?
Carnegie Europe, September 2023

Entre inflation et croissance: Pour une BCE au service de la puissance et de l’autonomie stratégique européenne
Fondation Robert Schuman, September 2023

Europe, passer à l’Union pour répondre aux citoyens
Institut français des relations internationales, September 2023

Bipolar, multipolar, nonpolar all at once: Our world at the time of the Russia–Ukraine war
Istituto Affari Internazionali, September 2023

The crisis governance of the European Union
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, September 2023

Four big geopolitical tests the European Union faces this year
Atlantic Council, August 2023

A roadmap for European asylum and refugee integration policy
Brookings Institution, August 2023

The war in Ukraine is about Europe’s future
Carnegie Europe, August 2023

The BRICS summit and Europe’s China challenge: A better EU offer for the global south
European Council on Foreign Relations, August 2023

Onwards and outwards: Why the EU needs to move from strategic autonomy to strategic interdependence
European Council on Foreign Relations, August 2023

The tech standards that shape the future: How Europeans should respond to China’s rising influence
European Council on Foreign Relations, August 2023

EU-Ukraine wartime trade: Overcoming difficulties, forging a European path
European Policy Centre, August 2023

Regional actor, global: Can the EU get the best of both worlds?
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Centre for European Policy Studies, August 2023

Development aid and geopolitics: the EU’s Global Gateway initiative
Real Instituto Elcano, August 2023

Strategic security and critical raw materials: The role of the European Investment Bank
Istituto Affari internazionali, August 2023

Want Ukraine in the EU? You’ll have to reform the EU, too
Brookings Institution, July 2023

Ukraine has not transformed EU foreign policy
Carnegie Europe, July 2023

EU enlargement and the resolution of bilateral disputes in the Western Balkans
Centre for European Policy Studies, July 2023

The legality of a temporal suspension of veto rights for new EU Member States
Centre for European Policy Studies, July 2023

Building UK-EU bridges: Convergent China policies
Centre for European Reform, July 2023

EU migration policy: Another Groundhog Day?
Egmont, July 2023

Unlocking Global Gateway towards the Green Transition
Egmont, July 2023

If the EU was a State in the United States: Comparing Economic Growth between EU and US States
European Centre for International Political Economy, July 2023

Spirit of ambition: The Ukraine war and European defence integration
European Council on Foreign Relations, July 2023

Strengthening the European financial architecture for development through better coordination
European Centre for Development Policy Management, July 2023

Pour les générations qui bougent en Europe, encore tellement d’obstacles. Une odyssée européenne
Fondation Robert Schuman, July 2023

Green Deal watch, No. 10
Istituto Affari Internazionali, July 2023

EU tackles changes in global economic competition
Polish Institute of International Affairs, July 2023

Rethinking European energy relations in times of crisis
Clingendael, June 2023

Economic security: A new EU paradigm?
European Policy Centre, June 2023

What would Europeans want a European defence union to look like?
Bruegel, June 2023

European strategic autonomy 2.0: What Europe needs to get right
Carnegie Europe, June 2023

What the Russian crisis means for Europe
Carnegie Europe, June 2023

The European Political Community from Paris to Chisinau: An idea taking shape?
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, June 2023

How stringent would the new Stability and Growth Pact be? And for who?
Jacques Delors Institute, June 2023

The international role of the euro remains stable, but it needs more attention
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, June 2023

An assessment of the state of the EU Schengen Area and its external borders
Centre for European Policy Studies, May 2023

The European Political Community: From Prague to Chisinau and beyond
European Policy Centre, May 2023

EU convergence: Geographical dimension, impact of COVID-19 and the role of policy
Centre for European Policy Studies, April 2023

Europe’s policies for a green transition: The European Commission’s geopolitical turn and its pitfalls
Finnish Institute for International Affairs, April 2023

Commission and Parliament propose changes to electoral law in the EU
Polish Institute of International Affairs, April 2023

Read this briefing on ‘State of the Union‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.