No, the state of union is not good.
Dear friends!
I actually wanted to send you a newsletter about yesterday’s State of the European Union, the EU Commission President’s key annual speech, with a focus on my analysis of her digital policy announcements. But with yesterday’s suspected Russian drone attack on Poland and the murder of the far-right US thought leader Charlie Kirk, the situation in the European Union has deteriorated once again.
We will talk about this in a second. But first, let’s look back at the speech. For me, the key passage is:
‘We live in a world of imperial ambitions and imperial wars. A world in which dependencies are ruthlessly weaponised.’
This loudly proclaimed acknowledgement is new and represents an important shift in consciousness. For far too long, even the EU Commission has failed to openly acknowledge how strong our dependencies are, not only in industry and energy, but also in the digital sector, where US and Chinese platforms have long since gained full control.
But von der Leyen’s problem is this: she recognises the problem, but she is not acting on it.
Instead of becoming independent by expanding renewable energies, the US-EU trade deal includes €750 billion for dirty US gas and oil. Instead of creating and diversifying Europe’s own chip production and technological supply chains, von der Leyen announces €40 billion in investment in US chips. Instead of taking tough action against Google and Co., she is prohibiting her Commissioner Ribera from holding a press conference on the penalties against Google. She is dangerously underutilising the sharp swords of the DSA and DMA. ‘Buy European’ is not enough. The list of failures and hesitations is long, and I have attached it below.
But now I want to talk about the US.
With the murder of right-wing voice Charlie Kirk, the moment may now have come in the US that many people in the US talked about during my visits – just a few months ago, it was still an abstract danger. A second civil war. But Trump’s reaction to Kirk’s murder clearly points in this direction: the Democrats are to blame. Not a word about the Democratic politicians murdered just two months ago by a right-wing Trump supporter. With the deployment of troops (from the renamed ‘Department of War’) in the Democrat-led cities of LA and DC, and the preparations to repeat this in Chicago, we must expect the worst. The US is already no longer a reliable partner for Europe. And that is not going to get any better.
When von der Leyen describes the alliance with the US as ‘without alternative’ in her speech and increases dependence with billion-pound deals, it is extremely dangerous.
We can see how dangerous this is in Poland. There is little doubt that yesterday’s Russian drone attack on Poland was not an accident, but a deliberate test of the EU and NATO’s response. Anyone who has not yet read Prof. Carlo Masala’s book ‘Wenn Russland gewinnt’ (When Russia Wins) should do so now. Because while European countries are protesting, Washington is doing nothing. Next time, it may not be a few drones, but hundreds, and they may ‘accidentally’ fall on a power plant or NATO airfield.
In her speech, von der Leyen asked whether we as Europeans have the courage to fight for the future of Europe.
Dear friends. I have that courage. And we should all have it. Because even if the situation is dire, Europe has the money, the technology, the laws and the people for an independent and free future. Now it needs the political will. My colleagues and I are working on this every day, in the European Parliament and beyond. And I know you are too. Let’s not give up, but let’s be brave.
With determined regards,
Yours, Alexandra Geese
P.S.: A small act of courage would be to sign my petition ‘Freedom for Facts’: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/freedomforfacts/
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LONGER READ – MEP Alexandra Geese on SOTEU: “Dependencies are weapons – Eurostack protects Europe’s democracy”
Press release
Brussels, September 10, 2025. In her 2025 State of the Union address, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen invoked the “fight for Europe’s future.” She warned of a world of imperial wars, ruthless power fantasies, and dependencies that are ruthlessly used as weapons. She placed Europe’s sovereignty at the center of her speech: militarily with new defense initiatives, technologically through less dependence in key areas, and democratically through protection against disinformation.
Alexandra Geese (MEP, Greens/EFA) welcomes this course, but warns that Europe’s future also depends on protection against digital influence and an independent Eurostack. Europe’s technological Achilles’ heel can only be truly closed with decisive investment and effective regulation.
Ukraine: Defense also requires social will
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promises new cooperation in the defense sector and a drone alliance with Ukraine.
Alexandra Geese warns: “Just as important as Europe’s military defense are the hearts and minds of its people. It’s easier to swing an election than to win a war. US and Chinese digital platforms give propaganda produced in Russian disinformation factories a reach that reputable media cannot compete with.”
“The algorithms of digital platforms amplify Russian disinformation and propaganda to an extent that influences public opinion in Europe and can weaken Europe’s will to defend itself.”
Undermining democracy through disinformation and mistrust is just as dangerous as a military attack. If people do not see the need to defend Ukraine or perhaps one day the Baltic states, then all defense efforts are in vain. That is why Ukraine must not be played off against the Digital Services Act under pressure from the US government, which is our only bulwark against the influence of tech platforms and their enormous dissemination of propaganda.”
Dependencies are weapons – public procurement as a lever for sovereignty
In her speech, von der Leyen warned: “We live in a world of imperial ambitions and imperial wars. A world in which dependencies are ruthlessly weaponized.” She promised to make Europe more independent and announced a “Buy European” criterion in public procurement. Alexandra Geese is pleased that her demand from the Industry Committee’s report is being taken up. But she demands that words must now be turned into binding decisions.
Alexandra Geese demands: “Europe can do tech – but it needs investment. Those who do not control their own digital infrastructure lose political freedom of action – and that is security policy suicide. But lip service is not enough. Why are we investing 40 billion in US chips instead of strengthening our own industry? Europe must finally stop deepening these fatal dependencies.”
“Public procurement must not finance dependency – otherwise we will pay for our digital weakness with taxpayers’ money. If the Commission is serious, it must clearly anchor this in the Cloud and AI Development Act and in the Procurement Directive. Buy European must not just be a slogan, but the standard for future technologies.”
Without the Eurostack, Europe’s Achilles heel remains exposed
In her speech, von der Leyen focused on the Cloud and AI Development Act, new AI gigafactories, and supercomputers as drivers of innovation. She linked this to the promise that Europe must “control the technologies and energies” that will determine its future.
Alexandra Geese: “This is an important step—but it is not enough. Without a complete Eurostack, Europe remains digitally vulnerable to blackmail – and that is the real Achilles heel of our democracy. A Eurostack is not a buzzword, but an end-to-end architecture: chips, energy-efficient data centers, sovereign cloud stacks, open standards, AI training capacities, and clear licensing models – all verifiably low-carbon. Only by securing the entire value chain can we gain digital sovereignty.”
Regulatory sovereignty
Von der Leyen emphasized: “Whether on environmental or digital regulation – we set our own standards, we set our own regulations.” She calls for the protection of democracy and announces more enforcement.
Alexandra Geese believes: “The DSA and DMA are not obscure digital regulations, but our response to the dictatorship of opinion imposed by large platforms. At X, TikTok, Meta, or Google, we see every day how platform owners decide on reach and visibility. It can no longer be left to Facebook, Google, or TikTok to determine the rules of our democracy. The European Commission must no longer take into account the blackmail attempts by the authoritarian US government. We have been waiting for months for important decisions on manipulation in Romania and in the German federal election campaign.
No free press without a fair advertising market
Von der Leyen announced a European Centre for Democratic Resilience, referring to news deserts and additional funding for independent media. She thus outlined a democratic agenda against manipulation and disinformation.
Alexandra Geese adds: “Protecting democracy also means fair digital markets. Only when publishers can once again generate competitive revenues will we strengthen press freedom and the financial basis of independent media in Europe.”
“The €2.95 billion fine against Google was necessary – what is crucial now are structural measures in the adtech sector. An advertising monopoly is not compatible with media diversity and press freedom. No public funding of the press can or should replace the advertising revenues that the Google monopoly is depriving our press of.”
Not without alternatives: Global democracies as a counterweight to US big tech
Von der Leyen emphasized that there is no alternative to the transatlantic partnership. Alexandra Geese disagrees: Europe must defend itself against attacks from the increasingly autocratic US government and the tech oligarchy. To this end, the EU could work specifically with democracies that are developing their own digital models.
Alexandra Geese warns: “If we want to defend democracy and digital sovereignty, we cannot do it alone. We need strategic alliances with countries such as Brazil, which has set standards for user rights with its Marco Civil da Internet; India, which has built its own digital public stack for payment systems and identity; or South Korea and Taiwan, which are leaders in semiconductors and cybersecurity standards. Such alliances create counterweights to the blackmail attempts of authoritarian states and to dependencies on US big tech.”
“In this geopolitical situation, it is negligent to continue to stand by and watch as the Trump administration blackmails the free world. Close cooperation between democratic countries is now crucial. The only thing that helps against blackmail is strength – and we have that as the European Union together with other countries such as Brazil, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and many others.”