The other 'strategic errors' that Ursula von der Leyen has yet to acknowledge

Making mistakes is human, and correcting them is wise, but it is also fair to acknowledge the effects of those mistakes.

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said today that reducing Europe's nuclear energy sector was a "strategic mistake," as the continent faces a new energy crisis related to the war in Iran. Von der Leyen noted that in 1990 Europe produced around a third of its electricity from nuclear power, but that figure has fallen to 15%, making European countries dependent on oil and gas imports and causing electricity prices to rise, particularly hard on households.

One of those responsible for that mistake was Merkel, from the same party as Von der Leyen

I think it's great that Von der Leyen is acknowledging a mistake, but she should own up to it, because our continent doesn't make decisions for which no one can be held accountable. One ​​of the main proponents of ending nuclear energy in Europe was Angela Merkel's government, which in 2021 advocated for the closure of nuclear power plants in her country. Merkel belongs to the same party as Von der Leyen, the CDU, which is a partner of the European People's Party (EPP). The CDU governed for years in coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD). Therefore, it was not Europe that made that mistake, but rather Von der Leyen's party and its leftist partners. A mistake that made Germany dependent on Russia for energy, strengthening Vladimir Putin's dictatorship.

The disaster of Von der Leyen's green policies

Furthermore, Von der Leyen should consider what other strategic errors have been committed by the Commission she leads, formed by the EPP in a grand coalition with the European Socialists—that is, the same coalition that committed that strategic error with nuclear energy in Germany. One of this Commission's errors has been promoting "green" policies that have devastated European industry, especially the automotive sector, favoring Chinese manufacturers in an absurd political race to impose electric cars on Europeans. A political decision that has increased the price of cars and therefore the cost of living for many people, since cars are essential in our daily lives, and no bureaucratic decision can eliminate that need.

An increasingly bureaucratic EU that is holding back our economy

Another major political mistake of the Von der Leyen Commission has been its attempt to transform the European Union into a megastate, a vast bureaucratic entity that constantly interferes in our lives, adopting purely socialist interventionist policies that have severely damaged the European economy, making it less competitive with powers like the United States and China. Like green policies, this interventionism leads to the destruction of many jobs, as European companies face an ever-increasing legislative burden that raises production costs and hinders their chances of success against competitors from other parts of the world.

An EU that imposes the ideological and political agenda of the left

Likewise, under Von der Leyen's leadership and with the support of her party, the European Union has become a promoter of increasingly aberrant ideological agendas, openly promoting abortion (that is, the elimination of unborn babies in the womb, a monstrosity that violates the most basic of human rights, which is the right to life), attempting to impose this extremist agenda on countries like Poland, violating their national sovereignty and ignoring the will of Polish citizens to protect this right to life. While doing that, Von der Leyen's Commission stood idly by in the face of attacks by the leftist government on the rule of law in Spain, revealing a sectarian policy in which the left dictates the course of action for the EU leadership, including its policies of attacks against freedom of expression.

A clumsy immigration policy with regrettable results

On the other hand, the Von der Leyen Commission implemented a highly irresponsible immigration policy, a carbon copy of the policy pursued by Angela Merkel in Germany, with disastrous results. This policy has created a more insecure Europe, with an alarming process of Islamization (which in some countries now threatens not only social cohesion but also the political future of democracy, pressured by parties that openly seek to impose Islamic law) and with very negative effects on public services, which are often overwhelmed. The Von der Leyen Commission not only imposed this policy but also persecuted conservative governments for refusing to accept the indiscriminate distribution of illegal immigrants across Europe.

A lack of leadership that has favored Russia

I cannot fail to point out one of Von der Leyen's most serious strategic errors: not providing Ukraine with all the necessary aid to deal with the large-scale Russian invasion that began in 2022, forcing the attacked country to wait for lengthy political deliberations about the aid it should receive, giving precious time to the invaders to kill Ukrainian civilians and occupy part of their country.

As in other matters (we have just seen this in the case of the Iranian dictatorship), European politics suffers from a lack of leadership and principles, after many years of fostering a European project that has opted for a clumsy and unbearable bureaucratization that ends up generating more rejection than support, hastily attempting to develop a Europe based on socialist dogmas and not on its true cultural roots, thus giving Russia a larger breeding ground for its propaganda among the ever-growing number of Eurosceptics. This process has also resulted in Europe's voice becoming increasingly irrelevant on the international stage.

I don't know if Von der Leyen will acknowledge these mistakes and their consequences. Personally, I highly doubt it, because acknowledging them would mean breaking the grand coalition with the Socialists, with whom she is still supposed to be President of the European Commission. What I am certain of is that she is not going to be the one to fix all the damage she has done. That will have to be done by someone else. What we must ask of Von der Leyen now is that she truly take responsibility for her mistakes and resign. It's high time to leave Europe in better hands than hers.

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Photo: Reuters.