Who rules Europe? VDL buckles to Macron as she changes State of Union speech to attack China

EU nations were said to be opposed to the move, concerned it would trigger retaliation from China.

But Von der Leyen this morning buckled to pressure from France, announcing the probe they had been pushing for.

Von der Leyen said: "Global markets are now flooded with cheaper Chinese electric cars and their price is kept low by huge Chinese subsidies."

She added: "We do not accept this from the outside. So I can announce today that the Commission is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles coming from China."

Ahead of the speech, a French official said the issue's inclusion would be "satisfying" for France.

They told Politico: "It wouldn’t hurt to have it in the State of the Union, because it’s vital for the automotive industry as part of the industrial sector."

In the build-up to the speech, both Brussels and Berlin were becoming increasingly annoyed by France's demands.

Three trade diplomats from the bloc told Politico they were unconvinced by the plan, with one saying: "There is simply no way this will fly."

Von der Leyen delivered her State of the European Union Speech (SOTEU) in Brussels this morning.

It was her final SOTEU of her first term as Commission president.

Despite the 2024 European Parliament elections coming up fast, it is not yet known whether Von der Leyen will stand for re-election.

A central aspect of Von der Leyen's speech was the "enlargement" of the bloc, with the EU chief promising to "complete" the union.

There are currently eight recognised candidates for membership: Turkey, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Moldova, Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, earlier this month said that Ukraine and the Western Balkans need to gain EU member status "quickly".

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Addressing the European Parliament today, Von der Leyen said: "History is now calling us to work on completing our union.

"In a world where some are trying to pick off countries one by one, we cannot afford to leave our fellow Europeans behind.

"In a world where size and weight matters, it is clearly in our interests to complete our union. But beyond the politics and geopolitics of it, we need to picture what is at stake.

"We need to set out a vision for successful enlargement - a union complete with over 500 million people living in a free democratic and prosperous union.

"A union complete with young people who can live study and work in complete freedom. A union complete with vibrant democracies."