The European Parliament’s Left group on Wednesday slammed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over what it called “glaring double standards,” saying she condemns attacks on civilians in Ukraine while continuing to defend Israel over its war in Gaza.
"The President of the European Union Ursula von der Leyen delivered a lackluster State of the Union address this year, with an incredible amount of glaring omissions despite a speech that dragged on for over an hour," the group said in a statement after von der Leyen's State of the Union address on Wednesday.
The Left said the president "rightly" condemned the use of so-called "double tap" airstrikes against Ukrainians but accused her of failing to apply the same standard to Israel.
The group described Israel as a "leading perpetrator of double tap strikes on unarmed civilians."
"The President’s claim that 'the glorification of war criminals simply has no place in the European Union' raised eyebrows around the plenary chamber as the Commission has still taken no action to help bring Benjamin Netanyahu to trial in The Hague," the statement said.
The criticism comes as the EU continues to grapple with the genocidal war in Gaza and its broader Middle East policy.
In her 2025 State of the Union address, von der Leyen had described the situation in Gaza as unacceptable and announced proposals for sanctions against extremist Israeli ministers and occupiers, as well as a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
The bloc, to date, has neither imposed any sanctions on the state of Israel nor suspended the association agreement. Some sanctions, however, were approved against violent and extremist settler organizations and their leaders.
The group also criticized von der Leyen's emphasis on European competitiveness and deregulation, arguing that the European Commission was prioritizing economic and defense policies over social and environmental concerns.
The Left's co-presidents, Manon Aubry and Martin Schirdewan, separately criticized the speech for failing, in their view, to provide sufficient measures to address the cost of living, housing and social inequality.
