”EU:n tulee keskittyä asioihin, joista kannattaa päättää unionin tasolla: talous, turvallisuus ja ilmastonmuutos.”
Tilaa uutiskirje
Noin kerran kuukaudessa ilmestyvässä uutiskirjeessä Aura käsittelee työtään järkevämmän Euroopan rakentamiseksi eli luvassa on tasaisin väliajoin päivitystä EU-politiikan ajankohtaisista kiemuroista.
Keskityn politiikassani vahvistamaan Euroopan unionin taloutta, kilpailukykyä ja tuottavuutta, jotta voimme varmistaa eurooppalaisten hyvinvointiyhteiskuntien tulevaisuuden, kehittää keinoja taistelussa ilmastokriisiä vastaan sekä vahvistaa Euroopan kokonaisturvallisuutta.
Euroopan unionin arvopohja rakentuu oikeusvaltioperiaatteelle sekä demokratian, sanan- ja yksilönvapauden noudattamiselle. Ihmisoikeuksien universaalin toteutumisen, sääntöpohjaisen maailmanjärjestyksen sekä kansainvälisen oikeuden puolustaminen ovat ulkopoliittisen ajatteluni perusteita.
Mahdollisimman vapaa markkina ja tuottava talous ovat välineitä toteuttaa mahdollisuuksien tasa-arvoa, vahvistaa eurooppalaista koulutuspohjaa ja osaamista, taata hyvinvoivien kansalaisten arkipäivä ja tulevaisuus sekä osaajien riittäminen Euroopan unionissa nyt ja tulevaisuudessa. Maailman parhaaksi tähtäävän koulutuspolitiikan tulee olla eurooppalaisen osaamisen perusta.
EU-viikon kuumimmat puheenaiheet. MEP Aura Salla on EU-politiikkaan erikoistunut valtiotieteiden tohtori. Podcastissa pureudutaan EU-viikon polttaviin puheenaiheisiin rennolla ja kansantajuisella otteella. Mielipiteet edustavat ainoastaan henkilökohtaista ajattelua.
On my way back from Munich. In my opinion vice-president Vance’s speech in the #msc2025 Conference just showed us that Trump and his allies are being deliberately provocative and we cannot rely on the US as our firm ally but rather to take the same approach we take to many other foreign countries. We cooperate on the principle of reciprocity. However, Europe is very aware that we need to be able to arm Ukraine from head to toe and make sure the country has the strongest possible security guarantees when we secure peace. The problem is that this takes money and time and that is what Ukraine doesn’t have.
Repeating my message on regulation in many conversations here in Munich and today I also had a chance to take the stage on the panel “Modern Economic Resilience: AI, Geopolitics, and Energy Sovereignty” alongside Commissioner Dombrovskis and other distinguished speakers.
My key points:
📌 The EU must focus beyond Regulation: While setting ethical AI standards is crucial, the EU must also prioritise giving European AI developers access to the data, investments, and talent they need. We cannot afford to have the wrong priorities and make regulation our only export product.
📌 We have to accelerate AI Leadership: Europe’s role in Generative AI still lags behind China and the U.S., particularly in venture capital funding and computing capacity. The InvestEU 200 billion euro initiative is long overdue but a good start to the EU changing direction – but in the long term, we must ensure that the EU attracts private risk capital and allows it to flow freely across Member States.
📌 Secure our Energy Future: The future development of AI is tightly linked to energy needs. It’s vital that the EU invests in robust grid capacity and clean energy production to power both cutting-edge AI applications and traditional energy-intensive industries.
👉 Ultimately, these issues are not only about innovation and competitiveness – they’re about safeguarding Europe’s security and resilience for the future.
#msc2025
#ai
#tech
The only winner from US 🇺🇸 export restrictions towards its allies is China 🇨🇳. Nevertheless, restricting the supply of AI chips to Europe 🇪🇺 can stifle innovation we need.
However, let’s also keep in mind that this is a two way street. 👉 The US needs our manufacturing and the EU still remains an important trade partner even to Trump. Our transatlantic partnership remains vital to navigating the geopolitics of today.
So let’s make a deal that works on both sides of the Atlantic.
📍We should retain and strengthen the TTC, invest jointly in R&D, diversify our supply chains and secure better services and a healthier transatlantic tech ecosystem.
However, we should also not be naïve and must consider how prepared the EU is for escalating trade conflicts. I’m worried about the EU’s Chips Act in practice.
📍We need less national fragmentation, excellence-based approach to funding and investment, right infrastructure and skilled workforce, and put effort into green manufacturing and a plan that works in practice for quantum chip production.
☝️ ‘Cos no matter who is sitting in the White House now or in the future, we need to put Europe’s security and competitiveness first.
📢 The European Commission’s 2025 Work Programme lays out an ambitious vision for competitiveness, sustainability, and simplification. 🇪🇺 But does it truly cut red tape – or are we still stuck in an endless cycle of new regulations:
✅ Some Steps in the Right Direction:
🔹 Start-up and Scale-up Strategy: Sounds good, but is it enough to tackle Europe’s lack of venture capital and access to risk/growth capital? The CMU was noticeably absent from any mention in the programme, will the 28th regime be able to address some of these problems?
🔹 AILD, SEP, ePrivacy withdrawal: A welcome decision – hopefully the start of rolling back other flawed proposals like CSAM.
🔹 Competitiveness in Focus – The Clean Industrial Deal, Affordable Energy Plan, and Single Market Strategy aim to boost business. But will they truly cut energy costs, speed up permitting, and drive investment?
🔹 Climate Leadership is an economic advantage – The Clean Industrial Deal and 90% emissions reduction by 2040 can drive innovation and investment. Without simpler regulations and a strong CCUS framework, meeting the 50 Mt CO₂ injection target by 2030 is uncertain.
🔹 Commitment to simplification? – The Omnibus simplification packages promise to cut reporting obligations by 25% (35% for SMEs). That’s a positive step, but is it real simplification or just rearranging bureaucracy?
🚨 Digital Networks Act: Opportunity or barrier? – Digital infrastructure is key, but too many past regulations have stifled investment. This must not become another overcomplicated, growth-killing law.
🚨 Will businesses actually feel the difference? – Many of the new simplification initiatives still involve new rules, new compliance measures, and more oversight.
💡 Now, it’s on us in the Parliament to ensure the Commission delivers proposals with clear strategic logic that foster growth and innovation – not more barriers.
I asked Commissioner Virkkunen about the simplification measures and the omnibus package since it is now focusing on taxonomy and sustainability reporting but so far lacking any proposals on digital regulation.
👉 For an easy start, the Commission should consider withdrawing some unfortunate proposals like the AI Liability Directive which is not needed as the existence of loopholes remains unclear, the CSAM proposal that doesn’t protect children but gives big tech, states and criminals access to our messaging services and an SEP regulation that aims to fix something in the market that is not broken while endangering European sovereignty on SEPs.
Her answer was that we should not create uncertainty in the market by withdrawing existing regulation. ☝️ That’s good, and I would largely agree there to an extent, but these are not existing regulations, they are only proposals from the Commission, many of which are stuck in the Council or may become indefinitely stuck in the future.
#digital
#competitiviness
#AI
#Europe 🇪🇺
The EU’s 🇪🇺 new Competitiveness Compass aims to close the innovation gap, create a joint roadmap for decarbonisation and competitiveness, and reduce excessive dependencies and increase security. But will it deliver?
Among the goals are a real Internal Market, AI Gigafactories, Omnibus packages, 90 % reduction on emissions, digital transitions, use of advanced materials, and much more. Many important topics that I can support.
But what I really want to see are:
👉 Finally finalize the Capital Markets Union. Fragmented markets and national barriers in pensions and taxation stall large-scale investment. Real unity is essential.
👉 Put deregulation back on the menu. We need clarity on what simplification means in practice. Focus on high-tech, high-growth sectors where Europe risks falling behind.
👉 AI Gigafactories being reality. Global competition moves fast in AI, clean tech, and semiconductors. The EU must match this scale and speed. Our new initiatives need bigger impact, and fast.
👉 Affordable energy matters. The Compass proposes adjustments to electricity pricing and competition must not undermine market integrity. Urging member states to invest in energy grids and storage is welcome. The 2040 goal to cut 90 percent of EU emissions is clearly expressed.
👉 Now we have a new framework, but real implementation and genuine unity among Member States are vital. Without decisive action, competitiveness will remain a distant goal.
#energy
#competiviness
#AI
#tech
