The Commission president promised to pull off seven political feats by March 10. Here’s how she did.
Ursula von der Leyen is rounding out the first 100 days of her second term in office — and what a whirlwind it’s been.
Since the European Commission president won a second mandate, Donald Trump’s return to the White House in the United States has upended the transatlantic relationship, calling into question the existence of NATO as well as U.S. support for Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia.
The pressure coming from Washington — which has threatened the EU with 25 percent tariffs and warned it may not defend countries that fail to spend enough on defense — has forced the Commission to speed up work on reforms designed to bolster the bloc’s defenses and make it more competitive on the global stage.
“On all these issues, the direction of travel was always clear,” von der Leyen told a press conference on Sunday. “What has changed is the sense of urgency. Something fundamental has shifted.”
Indeed, among the key reforms von der Leyen’s Commission is due to present this month is a so-called “White Paper” on defense that’s meant to spell out options on how Europe can finance a major defense rampup.
But Trump’s moves on Ukraine, as well as his threats not to defend countries that don’t spend enough on defense, have moved that timeline forward, with EU leaders endorsing plans to spend €800 billion in the coming years during an emergency meeting in Brussels last week — front-running the White Paper.
In addition to defense, the European Commission president laid out a series of promises for the EU’s executive body to fulfill in the first 100 days of its term. But that was before Trump was elected and halted aid to Ukraine, threatened the EU with sweeping tariffs, and threw the established world order into doubt.
So, how have von der Leyen’s promises held up? Here’s POLITICO’s verdict.
1. Clean Industrial Deal
What von der Leyen said: “There is an equally urgent need to decarbonize and industrialize our economy at the same time,” von der Leyen wrote in her second-term manifesto. Her solution: A “Clean Industrial Deal” that would revive the EU’s struggling, heavy-polluting industries — think steel or cement — while reducing their carbon footprint, and also boost manufacturers of new climate-friendly technologies such as electric heat pumps.
Did she hit her target? The Clean Industrial Deal arrived on Feb. 26 (day 88) and responded to many of industry’s demands. The strategy outlined steps to reduce energy prices, source raw materials and create demand for low-carbon products. It was more wobbly on financing — with a new $100 billion fund mainly drawing from existing or already earmarked cash and betting on governments volunteering more money — and addressing trade pressures.
Meanwhile, although the Commission was also eager to roll back green regulations, its promised 2040 climate target — which green groups, clean-tech firms and EU countries like Denmark wanted to incorporate within the Clean Industrial Deal — has still not been published.
Where will the EU go next? The Clean Industrial Deal will unfold over the coming years with more than two dozen legislative proposals, legal reforms and sector-specific “action plans.” The big items for this year include a reformed state-aid framework coming in summer — meant to deliver on some of the investment and energy price promises — and an “Industrial Decarbonization Accelerator Act” toward the end of the year that will establish a label for low-carbon products and made-in-EU green requirements for government spending. And that 2040 target should come soon as well.
— By Zia Weise
2. European action plan on the cybersecurity of hospitals and health care providers
What von der Leyen said: Europe “must do more” to protect its health-care system from an ever-increasing barrage of cyberattacks, which can knock out vital systems or lock doctors and nurses out of sensitive patient data until criminals get a ransom. The EU’s answer? Ramped-up technical support, an early-warning system and rapid response teams.
Did she hit her target? Sort of. The EU published its plan on Jan. 15 (day 46), which got a reasonably warm response. There was, however, one big caveat: It all depends on money, and the plan made little mention of that — even though cash remains “the most important issue,” according to Tomislav Sokol, a Croatian member of the European Parliament with the center-right European People’s Party group, in comments made when the plan was published.
Digitaleurope, a trade body, reckons the plan is a “good starting point” but echoed concerns about a lack of clarity on cash.
Where will the EU go next? The technical: The Commission will now consult on the plan, with various deadlines to hit throughout this year and next. The political: The cash question is for EU capitals to address, said Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi when unveiling the plan.
“I understand that this is a problem across the board in Europe, that there’s not enough resources dedicated to [protecting data]. But we’re making the point with this proposal that there would have to be,” he said.
The success of the plan “will, of course, depend on the support from the European member states,” said Wim Hafkamp, managing director at Z-Cert, the Dutch computer emergency response team for the health sector.
— By Sam Clark
3. AI Factories Initiative
What von der Leyen said: Von der Leyen pledged to ensure European startups had access to the necessary computing power to compete in the accelerating global artificial intelligence race by “building” massive AI supercomputers, also known as AI factories. With many European startups currently relying on U.S. computing power, the move could also be read as a push to become more technologically sovereign.
Did she hit her target? Kind of. On Dec. 11 (day 11), the European Commission announced it would contribute half of a planned €1.5 billion investment into seven European sites. But the victory was short-lived: U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office in January and announced a $500 billion AI hardware plan, moving the goalposts somewhat.
So the Commission moved again. On Feb. 10, at the AI Action Summit in Paris, von der Leyen unveiled a plan to mobilize €200 billion for hardware, including a €20 billion fund to build four AI gigafactories aimed at training the most complex AI models.
Where will the EU go next? On this one we’re only getting started. The Commission is expected to grant funding to five more AI factories in March. The road to the gigafactories is even longer: There’s no clear breakdown on how much funding will be provided, nor any details on how much of that will come from the EU budget.
— By Pieter Haeck
4. White Paper on Defense
What von der Leyen said: In her political guidelines the Commission president said she would present a White Paper on the Future of European Defence to identify investment needs. In the past months the Commission made clear that the policy document would also include financing options to help the bloc massively boost defense spending.
Did she hit her target? Yes and no. Von der Leyen technically hasn’t presented her White Paper yet, with publication slated for March 19 (day 109).
However, on March 4 (day 91) she did present a plan to send loans of up to €150 billion to governments to help them increase their military expenditure. The money can be spent on artillery, missiles, ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems, as well as on weapons for Ukraine.
Von der Leyen also said she would trigger the EU’s national escape clause, a mechanism to prevent defense spending from being included in the punishment mechanism for countries breaching the bloc’s deficit rules.
Her plans were approved by EU leaders on March 6.
Where will the EU go next? The Commission now has to translate the financing proposals into actual legislative instruments.
The EU’s executive branch is also still expected to present the White Paper on Defense, which could include more financing options, as well as more details on the EU’s industrial priorities for armament.
— By Laura Kayali
5. Vision for Agriculture and Food
What von der Leyen said: Von der Leyen pledged to present a Vision for Agriculture and Food, building on an agrifood roundtable held during the first half of last year. “We need to overcome contradictions … that’s why the strategic dialogue on the future of farming has begun,” she told lawmakers in July. “I’ve promised to listen carefully and to draw important lessons.”
Did she hit her target? On Feb. 19 (day 81), Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen delivered an underwhelming vision that tried to please everybody with better conditions for farmers, fairer supply chains and a rethinking of sustainability policies.
But for many, this big, fancy vision — which is to replace the previous Farm to Fork Strategy — has landed more as a farmer-friendly agenda that’s big on promises but short on cash.
Where will the EU go next? The Commission is expected to move forward with the first part of the plan in April: to cut red tape on the €300 billion-plus farm budget by easing requirements to access the cash.
By the end of the year, Hansen wants to crack down on other rules affecting farmers beyond the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — such as environmental and food safety policies.
— By Paula Andrés
6. Youth Policy Dialogues
What von der Leyen said: In her guidelines von der Leyen said young people should be able to use their voices and shape their futures. She also said she wanted her commissioners to lead by example and to engage in “youth policy dialogues” within the first 100 days.
Did she hit her target? Yes, albeit narrowly. Sixteen of the 28 commissioners held their youth policy dialogues the week before the deadline (days 93-97), while three commissioners are set to hold dialogues on March 10 (day 100): justice chief Michael McGrath, tech sovereignty boss Henna Virkkunen and innovation lead Ekaterina Zaharieva. Deadline work resonates well with young people.
Where will the EU go next? The youth policy dialogues are meant to be a recurring event in which commissioners talk to young people once a year. The bigger question is how — or if — this will feed the Commission’s policy work.
Youth Commissioner Glenn Micallef, who played wheelchair basketball during his dialogue in Athens, told POLITICO that the experience of wheelchair sports is “a whole new dimension” compared to just reading up on inclusive sports.
— By Pieter Haeck
7. Enlargement policy review
What von der Leyen said: Outlining priorities several months ago, von der Leyen zeroed in on enlargement — expanding the bloc’s membership — as well as the need to tweak the EU’s rules to make space for new members. Paris and Berlin have both argued that if the EU is grow to as many as 30 or 35 members it will need to change rules on agricultural aid, for instance, to ensure that existing members aren’t penalized.
This gave rise to von der Leyen’s call for an in-depth “policy review” examining all aspects of enlargement. In a foretaste of this intricate process — potentially including changes to the EU’s basic treaties — a preparatory document published in July was 22 pages long.
Did she hit her target? Insofar as a document will be published, yes. That’s what the Commission does. But this is one case where the savage geopolitics of the day is likely to derail the EU’s natural bureaucratic pace.
Where will the EU go next? Von der Leyen has already flagged that Ukraine could join the bloc by 2030, possibly earlier. Her enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, has floated the possibility of giving Ukraine faster access to parts of the EU’s single market as part of an accelerated accession process. “We are also working on plans to accelerate the integration of Ukraine into many more parts of the Single Market — to attract more investments, to strengthen Europe-wide value chains, and to create new opportunities for both Ukrainian and European businesses,” Kos said last week. Naturally, all this happened before the policy review was published.
— By Nicholas Vinocur
