State of the Union: Ursula von der Leyen has doubts about Europeans, but not about herself
There is a rather troubling recurring theme in the State of the Union address delivered on Wednesday by Ursula von der Leyen: the low level of trust placed in Europeans’ judgement. They must be protected, of course. And not only against Russia, social media platforms or algorithms, but also against their own opinions. This approach is nothing new. In 2024, whilst standing for re-election, the Commission President… was already describing societies that some would seek to ‘divide and polarise’ and promising never to accept that ‘demagogues and extremists destroy our European way of life ’. Today, she has been even clearer, lumping together those who question Europe’s track record and Russian agitators: “ Whether they are ultra-nationalists or anti-Europeans, Russian interference or disinformation, the names change, but the aim is…