This week marks 100 days of the von der Leyen II European Commission. A deadline by which President von der Leyen promised a range of initiatives, as outlined in her 2024-2029 political guidelines. We take a look at the main initiatives launched, in a time when Europe is adapting to shifting geopolitical paradigms.
Industrial policy and energy transition
Ursula von der Leyen presented her flagship project of a Clean Industrial Deal that aims at decarbonising Europe’s industries and enhancing the clean tech industrial base of the Union. Focusing on decarbonising the heavy polluters like chemical and concrete industries whilst ensuring the production of clean goods for tomorrow is promising. Yet the lack of sufficient new European funding risks further fragmentation between Member States and raises concerns if the package can really stimulate demand.
While the European Commission tabled its flagship Clean Industrial Deal in time, it also includes support for dirty energy sources such as nuclear energy. Moreover, not everything in this plan is new. Many elements have been carried over from the European Green Deal, and some revisions of existing EU laws – which were due for review in the coming months – have simply been bundled into it. Meanwhile, the Commission has once again postponed the 2040 climate target; a commitment under the Paris Agreement that was originally due last year. The same applies to the Roadmap for ending Russian energy imports, initially announced as part of the Clean Industrial Deal.
The simplification agenda under the ‘Omnibus-Packages’ has confirmed earlier fears: rather than streamlining regulations, it dilutes ambition in key areas of corporate sustainable responsibility. This not only undermines the European Green Deal, but also penalizes first movers and jeopardizes the EU’s efforts to drive upward convergence in global environmental and social standards.
Democracy and digital
In the past 100 days, the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen ramped up efforts to push European AI. At the AI Action Summit in Paris, over 60 countries signed a declaration promoting ethical AI, though its commitments on making AI sustainable are weak. On the sidelines, President von der Leyen announced €200 billion of investments for hardware, including a €20 billion fund to build four AI gigafactories aimed at training the most complex AI models and boosting Europe's competitiveness. More funding for AI gigafactories is expected, but EU investments pale in comparison to President Trump’s $500 billion AI hardware plan.
While the European Commission's AI Factories initiative is a strategic effort to bolster Europe's leadership in AI and offering SMEs, start-ups and public entities access to AI infrastructure, climate and environmental concerns have taken a back seat. A Beyond Fossil Fuels report for example warns that new data centres in Europe alone could create up to 121 million tons CO2e more emissions and could take up to 20% of the renewable energy planned to be built in Europe by 2030.
More must be done in this regard. Civil society initiatives like the Frugal AI challenge demonstrate that limiting resource usage can yield well-performing and effective results, while a Friends of the Earths report on Harnessing AI for Environmental Justice showcases how principles and good practices can guide climate justice and digital rights campaigners in the responsible use of AI.
With regards to the long-awaited "Democracy Shield Initiative", it was finally included in the Commission's 2025 Work Programme in February 2025. However, with a launch only expected by the end of the year, and as a non-legislative measure, one might ask: Is this too little, too late for a democracy that needs urgent protection and support today? Read more in the study "From Democratic Resilience to Democratic Security – A Post-2024 Democracy Agenda for the EU".
Foreign and security policy
Faced with the urgency of Trump’s actions, von der Leyen launched the ReArm Europe initiative to mobilise up to €800 billion to invest in EU’s defence capabilities. At a special European Council meeting on 6 March, all 27 Member States endorsed that plan. After years of hesitation, the EU – driven by geopolitical shifts – is finally forging ahead towards an European Defence Union. But Europe remains vulnerable without a big step forward. Ursula von der Leyen promised a White Paper on the Future of European Defence to outline investment needs and financing options. Though not yet published, this paper is set for 19 March. The crux lies not only in where the money comes from, but also in how to spend it, with the EU needing to address issues such as joint procurement.
The ‘ReArm EU’ package provides fiscal space to Member States via ‘National Escape Clauses’ under the stability and growth pact, and the creation of a fund that grants loans to Member States for ‘pan-European capability domains’. It remains unclear how potential of joint European procurement is mobilised, and the narrow focus on defence falls short of the problems. Furthermore, the stop-gap-solution of emergency clauses falls short of a much needed reopening of fiscal rules.
Within her first 100 days, Ursula von der Leyen chose India for her first official foreign visit to advance the new Strategic EU-India Agenda, as announced in her political guidelines. The visit took place alongside the second EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting, focusing on the pending Free Trade Agreement and possible deeper security cooperation. With the second Trump administration, strengthening strategic EU partnerships with like-minded countries has become central to upholding the multilateral international order.
