Ursula von der Leyen’s recent “state of the union” speech is evidence of how the leaders of European Union institutions are in thrall to multinationals, German and French carmakers in particular, opposition LMP has said, commenting on the speech given by the President of the European Commission. The green party’s spokesman, József Gál, told a press conference on Monday that LMP did not support Von der Leyen as EC president and would continue to withhold its backing after the European Parliament elections. Von der Leyen has said the EC will investigate the flood of cheap Chinese electric cars on the European market, he noted, adding that the competition procedure was set up to protect the German and French car industry, while these companies repatriated handsome profits thanks to exploiting cheap labour and natural resources in central and eastern Europe. European institutions, he said, were encouraging eastern parts of the EU to be places of landfill and assembly plants of EU core countries.