The reaction to the 2025 State of the European Union address is clear: the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the second Commission of Ursula von der Leyen are under pressure - and they must change direction.
The annual meeting between the European Parliament and the Commission - this legislature’s first - was fiery. The centrist Renew, the centre-left Socialists & Democrats (S&D), and the Greens/European Free Alliance (EFA) all openly criticised the EPP and its leader, Manfred Weber. The EPP, of which the President of the Commission is a prominent member, was blamed for the political inertia paralysing the EU at a time of global crisis.
Bas Eickhout, joint leader of the Greens/EFA, declared: “the Commission speaks of European unity, but the EPP’s leader is unwilling to understand what that means”. Iratxe García Pérez, leader of the S&D, stated that Weber “is responsible for the dysfunction of this majority”. Even the leader of the more typically reserved Renew, Valérie Hayer, expressed the need to act.
Criticism of Weber was accompanied by growing pressure on von der Leyen herself, aimed at distancing her from her own party. The absence of a clear stance on the Gaza Strip, her perceived weakness on climate policy, and a poorly received agreement with the United States have all raised concerns among pro-European allies.
The European centre-right is drifting rightwards
At the national level, the EPP allies with far-right parties - often forming governing coalitions. Italy stands out as a prime example. Forza Italia, the main party of the centre-right since it was founded by Silvio Berlusconi in the early 1990s, has joined a coalition with Fratelli d’Italia of the European Conservatives & Reformists (ECR) and Lega of the Patriots for Europe (PfE). The latter have long aligned themselves with authoritarian positions linked to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and, on the issue of Ukraine, Lega’s leader Matteo Salvini told President of France Emmanuel Macron to “sort it out yourself”, speaking in opposition to security guarantees at a European level.
This political landscape reveals a clear inconsistency in the EPP’s approach, echoing the criticisms voiced by the rest of the pro-European majority. The centre-right party, long considered the backbone of European politics (and, still, the largest in Parliament), now appears a fragile ally, increasingly paralysed by its desire to remain in power.
For now, the pro-European stance of the EPP keeps it tethered to liberal and progressive forces, but a shift towards the far-right is becoming more plausible. This behaviour may stem from a strategic calculation: the rightward drift of the European electorate, mirroring growing polarisation across the Western world, could have led the EPP to flirt with nationalist forces in an attempt to play both sides.
This trend is clearly illustrated by Tobias Mörschel, director of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung’s office in Brussels, who noted that the rightward shift in the European Parliament is also a matter of numbers. Within the EPP itself, more of its members than before are aligned with the party’s right-wing, while - in the last European Parliament elections - the ECR, the PfE, and Europe of Sovereign Nations gained 69 members, reaching 187 (one less than the EPP) and exerting growing influence over EU co-legislation and policymaking. This power - more structured and assertive than in the past - may tempt once-centrist forces into coalitions.
Citizens are calling for a Europe that is tangible and social
The criticisms voiced by Renew, the S&D, and the Greens/EFA are not merely political attacks - they are warnings against a deeper threat: democratic decline. The reality is that institutional malaise, due to this crisis of identity within the EPP, is eroding citizens’ trust in the EU. As Plato taught us, the purpose of politics is the common good - and to achieve it, the voice of the people must be heard. Using a term from the Lisbon Treaty, politics must be based on subsidiarity.
This is not empty rhetoric. The Eurobarometer - a statistical tool used by EU institutions to monitor public opinion - has identified the top priorities of European citizens in 2025: inflation, poverty, defence, employment, and public health. There is no doubt that the European public is sending a clear message to the Commission and its majority in the Parliament.
These concerns lie at the heart of the European project. Indeed, they are the pillars of the modern welfare state itself. The parties critical of Weber and von der Leyen - particularly the S&D - appear determined to give voice to the citizens of Europe with clarity and conviction.
From criticism to construction
This warning is not simply a threat to the Commission’s political stability - it is a call to refocus on the issues that truly matter to Europeans. If, in this era of geopolitical uncertainty, Europe fears for its sovereignty, an equally grave danger lies in its failure to respond to the needs of its people.
The protests by the pro-European majority may have marked a turning point. In the days that followed, the Commission announced the suspension of its trade agreement with Israel and sanctions against Israeli ministers and citizens responsible for human rights violations. It is well known that the European Union is a complex and slow-moving body when it comes to decision making, but the chaos that emerged from the 2025 State of the Union address and the harsh criticism towards the EPP seem to have yielded initial results.
The developments reported here are not enough to mend the deep fractures that have formed in the Parliament, but it is important to acknowledge that, in terms of concrete action, something has been done - following the criticism, a constructive response has produced some results. Though insufficient, it leaves open a glimmer of hope for a Europe that can still react. Is the European Union prepared to press ahead on this path? Brussels must choose now, before it is too late.
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