Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1143328
11 THE news is in, and EU key political actors can breathe now that the European Coun- cil nominee Ursula Von Der Leyen managed to secure enough votes to avoid a head- on collision between Parlia- ment and EU leaders. Her confirmation by the European Parliament was re- cently put in jeopardy follow- ing the lack of support from the Green Party, German members of the Socialists and Democrats, internal bickering within her own EPP family. The President elect's next step now will be to start meet- ing heads of state as from next week to form the new College of Commissioners and as- sign the latter their respective portfolios. What is more important at this juncture however is that the European Commission sends a strong political mes- sage through a clear vision of where it wants to go and what it wants to achieve by 2024, its political mandate. Brussels watchers and EU technocrats know very well that the strategic agenda fi- nalised a few weeks ago lacks the political will and ambition that the continent desperately needs, evidently to achieve a half-baked compromise be- tween Member States. Policy analysts and those working in the euro-bubble will now move to discuss the key issues that will feature on the new commission's politi- cal agenda overshadowed by the so called double emer- gency which Europe and the world as a whole are facing, mainly the transnational cri- ses linked to climate change and immigration together with other rising global prob- lems such as the systematic weakening of the multilateral system, topics which were recently brought up in Polit- ico's interview with UK's for- mer Foreign Secretary, David Miliband. To tackle these challenges, the new European Parlia- ment and Commission now must rise to the occasion, chart a blueprint for the next five years and face the salient challenges earmarked above. That is why I believe that the biggest stumbling block is how to brave these chal- lenges in the present political landscape. Come next Octo- ber, the United Kingdom is expected to leave the Union for good most probably under the leadership of its potential new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. It will be only then that the EU leaders will be in a posi- tion to start charting the fu- ture of the EU project beyond Brexit. The new Commission will have to bring together the plethora of personal inter- ests and political differences to kickstart the way forward for a Union of twenty seven member states. In the meantime the Euro- pean Union as a whole will be mired in a cutthroat com- petition with other economic giants, the United States, Chi- na, Japan, and India topping the list. This will take place amidst the current global race for innovation and trade wars which are hurting the inter- national economy and chal- lenging the multilateral sys- tem that has governed world trade for decades. And while there is cautious optimism surrounding talks which have taken place as recent as this week, the broader power struggles will not help the current slow or even sluggish growth currently being expe- rienced in a number of Mem- ber States. That is why one calls for po- litical maturity when debat- ing the future financing of the Union, together with a robust Eurozone budget and a safe pair of hands in charge of the European Central Bank, now lead by Christine Lagarde, are a must. In all this, Maltese politi- cians, stakeholders, civil so- ciety and the broader public will be asked to stimulate re- flection, discuss, contribute and shape the European pro- ject at what is a decisive time for the future of Europe and its citizens. maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JULY 2019 Aaron Farrugia is Parliamentary Secretary for EU funds and social dialogue OPINION Aaron Farrugia President elect: Ursula Von Der Leyen Brussels watchers and EU technocrats know very well that the strategic agenda finalised a few weeks ago lacks the political will and ambition that the continent desperately needs, evidently to achieve a half-baked compromise between Member States www.creditinfo.com.mt info@creditinfo.com.mt Tel: 2131 2344 Your Local Partner for Credit Risk Management Solutions Supporting you all the way