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Prague – The main focuses of the work of the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen will be increasing competitiveness, combating high energy prices, as well as strengthening Europe’s security and defense capabilities. On the occasion of 100 days in office, which will be completed next week, the Czech euro-commissioner Jozef Síkela told ČTK. According to him, the Commission has been trying to act and change things very quickly since taking office at the beginning of last December, highlighting work on significantly reducing bureaucracy, especially for small and medium enterprises.
The former Minister of Industry and Trade for STAN Síkela, as the euro-commissioner for international partnership, deals with overseeing European international cooperation and development policy. He stated that he can’t even keep count of the countries and projects he visited in the first months of his mandate. He highlighted his December trip to Mauritania, where he signed a budget support agreement worth 100 million euros (approximately 2.5 billion crowns) on behalf of the EU, his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, and his participation in the meeting of Angolan President Joao Lourenço in Paris. He also dealt with the Lobito corridor, which is meant for transporting mineral resources needed for battery and electric vehicle production from Congo and Zambia to the rest of the world through Angola, and also the issue of protecting the rainforest in Congo. “There are a number of activities, and I will continue with them now with a week-long trip to Central Asia, where I will visit Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. There is a very intensive agenda and very important projects for both Central Asia and Europe and European companies,” he said.
Síkela is also preparing for the annual meeting of the World Bank in Washington, during which he will also visit New York and meet with representatives of American companies. “On one hand, there are some steps taken by the American administration, but the tradition of transatlantic partnership, whether in terms of protecting democracy and the rule of law, military cooperation, or especially in trade, is so long and so deep that it needs to be protected,” he stated. In the USA, he also wants to refute President Donald Trump’s words that the EU was created to harm the USA.
According to Síkela, the Commission as a whole is trying to change things quickly. Important legislation, he says, came about quickly. “There are very positive things, such as our so-called omnibuses and significant reduction of bureaucracy, especially for small and medium enterprises,” he added. The Commission will continue to focus on strengthening competitiveness, combating high energy prices, and increasing Europe’s security and defense capabilities. (March 9)