Dreamers Schultz – hardworking EP

Under the slogan “This is Europe”, in which the leaders of the member states present their vision of the European Union, it was the turn of German Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday to address the European Parliament.

Schultz outlined his vision of what he called a “geopolitical Europe” that represents unity and at the same time bears global responsibility beyond its borders.

– Because the well-being of Europe cannot be separated from the well-being of the rest of the world, Schultz said.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its solidarity with Ukraine were the red thread in his speech. But this was also one of the points at which he came under fire from parliamentarians in the European Union. Mainly from his compatriot Manfred Weber, leader of the conservative EPP group, who accused Schulz of Germany’s response for being too slow to send weapons, such as tanks, to Ukraine. Schultz replied that Germany is the country that provides the largest financial support to Ukraine, and pointed out that even in terms of arms deliveries, Germany was in the lead, and this is supported by the German people, as he claimed.

The process of enlarging the European Union must be accelerated

Scholz also stressed the need to move forward with the processes that have begun to bring new countries into the union. He highlighted in particular the countries of the Western Balkans, which have been candidates for more than 20 years.

Schultz said: – For more than 20 years we have given hope to the Balkan countries and have not progressed at all in this regard.

At the same time, he said that an enlarged EU must also mean EU reform and highlighted, as he has done previously, that enlargement must go hand in hand with more decisions in the Council on foreign policy and tax matters. by a qualified majority, so that individual states cannot block proposals.

Criticism from conservatives and national greens
This was something that caused some parliamentarians to react. Poland’s Ryszard Legotko, head of the conservative national ECR group to which the Sweden Democrats belong, described the committee as an oligarchy group that would gain more power if Scholz’s proposal was implemented.

Scholz also spoke about the climate and stated that the EU should become climate neutral in the future. But Germany’s Terry Reintke, of the Greens, accused Schulz of not living up to the image he had built for himself as a “climate consultant”.

– Reintke said during the discussion that the truth is that your image as a hand-to-hand chancellor has collapsed and there are doubts about Germany as a reliable partner in Europe.