Brussels steers back to energy gameplan, after US intermezzo

The Commission president’s State of the Union speech usually sets the EU’s political tone for the year ahead; this year’s instalment, due on 10 September, could be in a minor key. It comes as Ursula von der Leyen contends with a string of existential struggles, geopolitical challenges from Washington to Kyiv, cracks in the bloc’s unity, and rising questions about her capacity to lead.

Hungary, a major importer of Russian fuels, has been a thorn in the side of Brussels’ plan to phase out gas imports. Attila Steiner, State Secretary in the Budapest energy ministry, told Contexte it was too early for his country to commit to a phase-out date for Russian gas — and described Ukraine’s strike on the Druzhba oil pipeline as an intolerable attack on ‘critical infrastructure’ A pledge to buy more US gas, made as part of the EU’s recent deal with President Donald Trump, isn’t a workable alternative, he said.

Since her reappointment to the helm of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen has continued to tighten her grip on the institution, reshaping it to such a degree that some wonder how much power her fellow commissioners truly hold.