In a high-stakes letter to leaders, the Commission President proposes leaving laggards behind to forge a deeper, more competitive economic union.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has thrown a political grenade into the heart of the EU. In a sharply worded letter addressed to the 27 heads of state ahead of their summit at Alden Biesen castle in Belgium, she has called for a radical "deepening" of the single market—even if it means breaking the sacred consensus that binds the bloc together.

The "Enhanced Cooperation" Threat

Von der Leyen’s proposal is a response to a world she describes as being "shaped by brute power and strategic rivalry." Her solution is a "comprehensive regulatory deep house cleaning" to slash red tape and boost competitiveness. But the kicker is her suggestion to use the "Enhanced Cooperation" mechanism. This clause allows a coalition of the willing—nine or more member states—to move forward with deeper integration while leaving skeptical nations behind.

"We cannot let the slowest ship determine the speed of the fleet," a diplomat in Brussels remarked. It is a veiled threat to obstructionist members (often Hungary or skeptical Nordics) that the core of Europe is ready to move on without them.

• The Draghi Effect: The plan draws heavily on the blueprints of Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta, who have argued that Europe is slowly dying from its own bureaucracy. Von der Leyen is effectively operationalizing their warnings.
• Macron’s "European Preference": The letter also nods to French President Emmanuel Macron’s long-standing desire for a "European preference" in public procurement, a protectionist move designed to counter the "weaponization of economic dependencies" by China and the US.

A Defining Moment

The summit at Alden Biesen is now poised to be a battleground. The "two-speed Europe" has long been a taboo subject, a specter of division. By placing it on the table, Von der Leyen is signaling that the era of polite stagnation is over. The EU must either integrate or disintegrate, and the Commission President has clearly chosen her side.