A hundred days into Von der Leyen’s second mandate, it is safe to say that the European Commission (EC) has rarely been this active. Having brought with her an ambitious agenda for the Bloc’s competitiveness, she also had to deal with the rapidly changing security situation in Europe and beyond. To see more clearly through the plethora of declarations, announcements, and other public rifts, let us see what mattered for Europe and, most importantly, for European Engineers.
As promised, the EC does not seem to be wasting time implementing its ‘Competitiveness Compass’. Comprised of a series of horizontal and sectoral policy proposals, the roadmap unveiled in January 2025 ambitions to create a competitiveness shock and put the Union back on the path of growth it left after the 2008 financial crisis.
European Green Deal? Yes, but not before competitiveness
While Von der Leyen is keen on keeping up appearances, it is clear from the first weeks that the green policies of her first mandate are being struck down at full speed.
Indeed, the Omnibus Package I unveiled a few weeks ago, which aims to reduce the reporting requirements of companies by at least 25% by June 2025, is in effect unravelling policies such as the EU Taxonomy Regulation, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), all cornerstone of the last mandate.
In simpler terms, in the eyes of the new Commission, green goals are not enough alone anymore but now must be subordinated to competitiveness objectives.
We should thus expect more rollback of green policies deemed uncompetitive in the coming months.
Security – Money and weapons for all
As you are most certainly aware, security concerns have occupied most of the public debate of the last month. In light of the changing security environment in Europe (understand, serious worries about Trump’s commitment to NATO), the EC is pulling out the big guns with a new initiative dubbed ‘ReArm Europe’.
In what could become one the most significant moves towards European Integration of the last decades, the Commission has announced it would mobilise up to €800bn for defence expenses, including €150bn in direct loans to Member States for defence procurements. In addition, the recently adopted fiscal rules will be amended to allow Member States to invest more in their defence without triggering the excessive deficit procedure. Finally, drawing on the COVID-19 experience, the EC is allegedly planning joint weapons procurements for Member States.
While all details have yet to be ironed out, this package is most probably the start of a sharp and structural demand increase for highly qualified engineers in the defence sector, especially since most of the procurements will be EU-sourced. In that context, a CTF for civil engineers is more relevant than ever, as their skills will likely sought after across the EU.
Other news
Besides these two initiatives, the European Commission has been busy introducing numerous sectoral policies.
Among them, we find the much-awaited Industrial Action Plan for the Automotive Sector. Along with legislative proposals to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles, it will provide €2.5bn to assist the struggling automotive economy.
To stay on top of the AI race, the EC unveiled its ‘Invest AI’ plan, which, among other things, aims to mobilise up to €200bn to create a comprehensive and competitive AI infrastructure in the EU.
Finally, to cope with the increased demand for (engineering) skills across the Union, the Commission presented its roadmap for the Union of Skills. While promising, it has yet to align its ambitious goals with necessary budget allocations and legislative proposals.
In short, the European Commission is keen on implementing its agenda as quickly as possible. In a context of economic uncertainty in the USA, it might also seek to turn the situation at its advantage by attracting more capital and activity in the Union.
Given the intense rhythm of news, it is likely that new developments will again disturb the Commission’s plan. It is nonetheless clear that the European Union is on the verge of a new wave of investments, which will all require engineers to produce the expected results.
To that extent, we should focus on advocating for ambitious policies to train the new generation of engineers and ensure the quality of their competencies while simultaneously investing in Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for the more experienced professionals.
(Commentary by Baptiste Deprez, ECEC office Brussel )