The policy priorities of the second von der Leyen Commission were initially outlined in the 30-page "Political Guidelines for the Next European Commission 2024–2029" document that Ursula von der Leyen published in July 2024. The seven priority areas are: • A new plan for Europe's sustainable prosperity and competitiveness • A new era for European defence and security • Supporting people, strengthening our societies and our social model • Sustaining our quality of life: Food security, water and nature • Protecting our democracy, upholding our values • A global Europe: Leveraging our power and partnerships • Delivering together and preparing our Union for the future As an important cross-cutting priority area, the Commission also put increasing emphasis on streamlining regulations and cutting
red tape, even if similar attempts to reduce "administrative burdens" had regularly featured in the EU agenda in the 1990s onwards. However, this time these efforts were further intensified and turned into omnibus directives that targeted recently initiated EU rules in the field of corporate sustainability and responsibility rules.
European Green Deal The
European Green Deal, approved in 2020, is a set of policy initiatives by the von der Leyen Commission with the overarching aim of making the European Union
climate neutral in 2050. In November 2024, Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition,
Teresa Ribera, expressed support for the European Green Deal and the
green transition. She said in an interview with
El País: "Ursula von der Leyen has given me a vice presidency: It's a signal that [the green agenda] remains a priority. Environmental transition is one of the great engines of the approaching economic and industrial transformation." In December 2024, Ribera warned that the Commission would not postpone the
ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU after 2035. On 26 February 2025, the Commission announced a collection of measures backed by 100 billion euros (US$104.94 billion) to support EU-made
clean manufacturing, called the
Clean Industrial Deal. Ribera said that "By 2030, the EU's renewable targets alone will generate over 3.5 million new jobs in the renewable sector. But this transition means change — some sectors will need to face challenging circumstances." On 2 July 2025, the Commission proposed a new climate target for 2040, aiming for a 90% reduction in net
greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels. According to a study by scientists at
Utrecht University published on 24 August 2025, the
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) could start to collapse from the 2060s. The
collapse of the AMOC would be a severe climate catastrophe, resulting in a cooling of the Northern Hemisphere. European Climate Commissioner
Wopke Hoekstra described the findings as a "wake-up call". In August 2025, Teresa Ribera suggested that AMOC should be "added to the list of national security acronyms in Europe" given the serious consequences of AMOC's collapse.
Foreign issues ,
Kaja Kallas and US Vice President
JD Vance at the
AI Action Summit in Paris on 11 February 2025 In November 2024, the candidate for the post of High Representative for Foreign Policy,
Kaja Kallas, stated that the
People's Republic of China must pay a "higher cost" for
its support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In February 2025, Kallas again condemned China, saying that "Without China's support, Russia would not be able to continue its military aggression with the same force. China is the largest provider of dual-use goods and sensitive items that sustain Russia's military-industrial base and that are found on the battlefield in Ukraine." On 17 January 2025, the European Commission concluded the negotations on the modernisation of the EU-Mexico Global Agreement. The modernized agreement is meant to reduce agri-food tariffs, simplify standards and establish climate and labour rights cooperation by the parties. On 3 September 2025, the Commission sent its proposal for the decision on ratification of the Agreement to the Council. On 20 February 2025, Kallas expressed doubts about US President
Donald Trump's attempts to
negotiate a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war, warning that "if we are giving everything on the plate to the aggressor, it sends a signal to all the aggressors in the world that you can do this." with Syrian President
Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria, 17 January 2025 On 24 February 2025, Kallas met with Israeli Foreign Minister
Gideon Sa'ar in Brussels for the first formal talks between Israel and the EU since the
Gaza war. The European Commission rejected a request from Ireland and Spain to review the
EU–Israel Association Agreement. In January 2025, European Commissioner
Hadja Lahbib met with Syrian President
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the
Sunni Islamist group
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. On 8 March 2025, the
EEAS condemned attacks "by pro-Assad elements" on Syrian government forces during
clashes in western Syria. On 17 March 2025, the European Union pledged €2.5 billion in aid for the
Syrian transitional government. in Brussels, 4 July 2025 In a meeting with Kaja Kallas in July 2025, Chinese Foreign Minister
Wang Yi said that China does not want Russia to lose the war in Ukraine. According to European diplomats, China is concerned that the United States would focus more on Asia once the conflict in Europe ends. On 15 July 2025, Kallas and the foreign ministers of the EU member states decided not to take any action against Israel over alleged
Israeli war crimes in the Gaza war and
settler violence in the
West Bank. The proposed sanctions against Israel included suspending the
EU-Israel Association Agreement, suspending visa-free travel, or blocking imports from Israeli settlements. Israel considered the EU's decision not to impose sanctions on Israel as a diplomatic victory. Palestinian Foreign Minister
Varsen Aghabekian criticised the decision, saying, "It's shocking and disappointing, because everything is crystal clear. ... The whole world has been seeing what is happening in Gaza. The killing, the atrocities, the war crimes." Kaja Kallas expressed support for enhancing trade and security ties between the
EU and India, while criticising India's close cooperation
with Russia, including its participation in the
Zapad 2025 military exercise. On 28 October 2025, Kaja Kallas and Hadja Lahbib released a joint statement calling the
RSF's seizure of
El Fasher a "dangerous turning point" in the
Sudanese Civil War and condemning the "brutality" of
targeting civilians based on ethnicity. They urged immediate de-escalation, adherence to international humanitarian law, and safe, unhindered humanitarian access. On 9 January 2026, during a historic visit to
Damascus, von der Leyen met with Syrian President
Ahmed al-Sharaa and announced a substantial financial assistance package of approximately €620 million, to be disbursed in 2026 and 2027. This visit marked a significant shift in
EU-Syria relations following the
fall of the Assad regime in late 2024. During her stay, von der Leyen described the ongoing
clashes in Aleppo between the Syrian government and the
Kurdish-led
SDF as "worrying". In January 2026, von der Leyen strongly condemned the
violent crackdown on widespread
anti-government protests in Iran. Responding to reports of escalating casualties, she characterised the situation as "horrifying." On 1 March 2026, von der Leyen called for a "credible transition" in
Iran following the start of a joint
U.S.-Israeli military campaign that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei. In March 2026, von der Leyen declared that the traditional "rules-based" international order is finished, urging the EU to adopt a more interest-driven,
realistic foreign policy in response to global instability. Addressing the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, she argued 'no tears should be shed' for the
Iranian regime, despite noting security risks to Europe. This rhetoric and her dismissal of the rules-based framework prompted criticism from several EU capitals and threatened a no-confidence motion from S&D lawmakers.
Defense industry On 4 March 2025, Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU's €800 billion (US$840 billion) defence investment plan "
ReArm Europe". She suggested that the European Union might need to ease its fiscal rules regarding
national debt to facilitate increased defence spending by member states.
Trade in Scotland, 27 July 2025 In May 2025,
Qatar threatened to halt
LNG deliveries to Europe if the European Union continued with
proposed regulations linking trade to human rights and environmental standards. On 27 July 2025, the United States and the European Union concluded a trade agreement, providing for 15%
tariffs on European exports. The deal was announced by US President
Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen, at
Turnberry, Scotland. European states committed to US$750 billion in
energy purchases and US$600 billion in additional investments in the United States. In July 2025, Indonesian President
Prabowo Subianto and Ursula von der Leyen reached a political agreement on the Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Following a decade of negotiations, the substantive conclusion of the deal was signed in September 2025. Ursula von der Leyen and the leaders of the
Mercosur countries (
Argentina,
Brazil,
Paraguay, and
Uruguay) formally signed the
European Union–Mercosur free trade agreement on 17 January 2026, in
Asunción, Paraguay. This milestone marked the culmination of over 25 years of negotiations aimed at establishing one of the world's largest
free trade zones. In October 2025, von der Leyen announced a strategy to reduce the European Union’s reliance on China for
critical raw materials, including
rare earth elements. This initiative was in response to China's
export restrictions on these essential commodities, which pose potential risks to the EU's industrial manufacturing and technological innovation. ,
Narendra Modi, and Ursula von der Leyen during the formal ceremony of the treaty's signing, 27 January 2026 In January 2026, India and the European Union concluded a landmark
India–European Union Free Trade Agreement, aimed at eliminating tariffs on over 90% of goods to strengthen economic and strategic ties. Ursula von der Leyen called it the "mother of all deals". This pact, signed concurrently with a free trade agreement (FTA), significantly facilitates legal pathways to the EU for Indian students and skilled workers.
Immigration In February 2025, Polish Prime Minister
Donald Tusk told Ursula von der Leyen that Poland would not implement the EU Migration Pact, i.e. the mandatory relocation of 30,000 asylum seekers or the payment of €600 million, and recalled that Poland had accepted a large number of
Ukrainian refugees. In March 2025, Poland suspended the right to apply for asylum at the
Belarus-Poland border, a decision supported by the European Commission.
Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-34 On 16 July 2025, the Commission proposed a draft of the
Multiannual Financial Framework for the years 2028-34, reorganising its structure into four pillars (National and regional partnership plans, Competitiveness Fund, Global Europe Fund and European public administration) and increasing the overall spending as a percent of gross national income of the member states combined from 1.05% to 1.26%. The Commission also included new sources of EU's own revenues in the draft budget. ==2025 votes of confidence==