Ahead of her speech on the state of the European Union scheduled for Wednesday, Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen is facing pressure from the Union parliamentary group. Thorsten Frei (CDU), the chair of the Union group, told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” that greater bureaucracy demands fewer bureaucrats. He argues that the reduction of bureaucracy must also translate into staff cuts within European institutions, urging the EU to focus solely on its core tasks and competencies.
Frei further called for a reduction in legislative rules, stating that competitiveness should not remain a mere slogan but must become the benchmark for every proposed law. If a law is detrimental to growth in Europe, he insists it must be stopped or withdrawn. Regulations that burden companies should be dismantled quickly, while instruments designed to protect the EU from unfair competition must be deployed faster.
Tilman Kuban (CDU), the group’s spokesperson for European affairs, addressed the issue of China. He proposed a reversal of the burden of proof regarding dumping. Instead of the Commission having to demonstrate dumping, Chinese manufacturers should be required to disclose their cost calculations if there is an initial suspicion of unfair practices; otherwise, their products should be barred from the market.
Kuban suggested that the current “omnibus” proposals used to roll back various regulations are insufficient. If the Commission is truly committed to reducing bureaucracy, he argues, each omnibus package must deliver 30 percent more relief than currently proposed. Furthermore, Kuban deemed the creation of additional positions within the EU Commission unthinkable. Instead, he called for the Commission to cut two percent of its staff each year.
Finally, the group’s European political spokesperson supported initiatives aimed at intensifying EU contacts with Canada and other non-European countries. Kuban stated that the goal is to expand the cooperation among middle powers. Consequently, he advocated strongly for strengthening ties with Canada and expanding relations with Japan, South Korea, and Australia, enabling the EU to push collectively for fair trade, subsidy control, standards, and supply chain resilience.
