“We must strive to achieve our climate and environmental goals. It’s a necessity” – said Ursula von der Leyen 10.09.2025 in the State of the European Union 2025 Address. However, the presented vision of the EU’s sustainable transformation is strongly intertwined with issues of improving quality of life and economic competitiveness.
The sustainable transformation of the EU, as articulated by Ursula von der Leyen, is today much more pragmatic than it was a few years ago – focused on economic benefits for citizens, competitiveness, creating new European jobs, protecting the “technological” EU, and ensuring fair play for European industry on a global scale.
The President of the European Commission spoke about Europe’s sovereignty, and in this context also about control over new technologies and energy sources. She emphasized that dependence on imported fossil fuels (e.g., from Russia) means high energy costs, and the guarantee of access to cheap energy is the development of clean energy sources in Europe. She noted that today over 70% of electricity in the EU comes from low-emission sources. She also emphasized that Europe is a world leader in clean-tech patents, with only China providing real competition.
She signaled that the future of clean technologies depends on overcoming the obstacles that currently stand in the way of their development, guaranteeing demand for clean-tech products, and motivating industry to reduce production emissions. She announced a booster for the battery industry – the Circular Economy Act.
What does the Address mean for Poland? How does the EU intend to act at the intersection of economy and climate in international policy? According to Katarzyna Snyder, expert on global climate policy at the Green Economy Institute, Ursula von der Leyen’s speech shows that Poland faces both opportunities and challenges. “Her strong emphasis on security and solidarity regarding Russian aggression fits well with Polish priorities, but the 90% emissions reduction target by 2040 still raises considerable political and economic controversy in Warsaw. Promises of large investments, simpler regulations, and trade protection may help Polish industry, though clear rules for supporting just transition, especially in energy-intensive sectors, are still lacking. The announcement of tools to level the global playing field for European industry – such as CBAM – is also important, which may strengthen the position of Polish companies, but at the same time involves criticism from trading partners and the risk of new tensions in economic relations. She said nothing about the EU’s global climate leadership, and that’s a sign of the times.”
Important announcements from both the perspective of European industry competitiveness and economic decarbonization concerned the automotive industry. “The President of the EC is right when she says that ‘the future of cars will be electric'” – says Aleksander Szałański, expert at the Electric Vehicle Promotion Foundation. “In the Address, she noted that this should mean more small and affordable cars. She also announced an initiative to create a European e-car (‘e’ for ecological, economic, and European). Both ideas can support transport decarbonization and serve the European economy, including Poland, which is already an important hub for the battery industry today. The President stated that the gesture toward European manufacturers and the introduction of flexibility in reporting is working. We should therefore not expect significant corrections regarding the ban on selling new combustion cars from 2035 during next year’s regulation review.”
“The information about the ‘buy food from the EU’ initiative is encouraging, as it can indeed contribute to shortening supply chains and promoting healthy, quality European food to the benefit of European farmers, consumers, and the environment” – said Adrianna Wrona, agriculture expert at the Green Economy Institute, who examined issues concerning the future of European agriculture and food discussed in the Address. “On the other hand, the CAP simplifications, presented by von der Leyen as a success of the EC, raise more doubts. Their implementation may work out well for us or not. If they help adapt support to local conditions and farmers’ transformational needs, they will be beneficial. However, if they favor halting actions for sustainable transformation, they may contribute to the loss of security, sovereignty, and competitiveness that are so important to us. At the end of the day, the direction we take will largely depend on Polish decision-makers.”
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