After COVID: harnessing the digital transition

It is no secret that at any point in time, a country has many issues to face and solve to ensure it continues to progress forward. Since the European Union is a membership of 27 Member States those in charge including Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President must look at the challenges and the solutions of the European Union as a whole.

It is for this reason that the State of Union address, which this year took place on 15th September and delivered by Ursula von der Leyen is such an important event.

In this speech, the Commission President takes note of what has happened during the past year and what the focus of the European Union will be for the upcoming year.

As we all know, these past two years have been unlike any other which has also meant that focus had to shift from those commitments which we were bound by in 2019 and work on the serious issues brought forward by COVID-19. Now that things are no longer looking as bleak, we must realise that the serious issues we committed ourselves to tackling in 2019 have not vanished, in fact they have gotten worse.

We are reaching the halfway mark of the five-year Commission mandate, and it is the time to act on those promises which have been made at the start of this legislature.

At the same time, we cannot deny that COVID-19 has changed many aspects of our life and so we must also tackle the issues which have emerged more recently.

A Green Social Market economy that works for all has long been one of the main promises that have been made. We must not forget that such a change along with the uncertainty which was brought by COVID -19 means that there are millions of workers in Europe which face large-scale restructuring and many job losses. This is a reality that should not be allowed to happen and that is why action is required now.

The EU must increase its ambition for a strong social Europe, which supports the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and work to strengthen social dialogue and collective bargaining. Only a socially just European Union will be able to confront and tackle the issues which are upon us.

It was such a shame that in the entire speech, there was only one proposal which targeted social justice. Very little was said on how the EU seeks to fight poverty, a serious issue which has only been exposed more clearly by the pandemic. Much more should have been put forward by the Commission President to ensure that the European Union builds a true social pillar.

We must go further in demanding ambitious proposals which aim to harness the digital transition which is ongoing and new working methods which have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. New directives on teleworking, the Right to Disconnect and the impact of artificial intelligence in the workplace are all issues which have increased in their relevance, and we should now act on these issues.

The State of the Union address is a good reminder of what issues are the most pressing. There is no time to waste in acting upon the promises which were made and focus on the issues that were brought forward by COVID-19. Now is the time to use the lessons we have been taught and be ambitious enough to push for those proposals which are essential to ensure that the future of the European Union is secure and more just and fairer than ever.