The EU between conquering foreign markets and social protest

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared in Berlin that conquering a market of 770 million consumers through the Mercosur free trade deal is a key EU priority. While she champions competitiveness, new trade alliances and promises more financial support for armament and businesses, hundreds of thousands of protesters flood the streets of France opposing painful austerity measures. The clash highlights the growing tensions between the Commission’s economic ambitions and social demands on the continent. This episode dives into von der Leyen’s vision, Draghi’s critical competitiveness report, and the fierce pushback from Europe’s trade unions.
Show notes:
* One Year On: Keynote speech by EU-Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_25_2102)
* One Year On: Keynote speech by Mario Draghi (https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/0951a4ff-cd1a-4ea3-bc1d-f603decc1ed9_en?filename=Draghi_Speech_High_Level_Conference_One_Year_After.pdf&prefLang=de)
* European Trade Union Confederation Statement on Competitiveness (https://etuc.org/en/pressrelease/investment-not-deregulation-key-competitive-economy)
* Speech by EU-Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Berlin (https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-277182)


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Видео The EU between conquering foreign markets and social protest канала On Point. News. Background. Analysis.