After ten years at the EU-post, Margrethe Vestager is optimistic: 'My problem with pessimists is, they get nothing from their hand'

For Margrethe Vestager, it will be a bitter goodbye to Brussels and the European Commission when she soon steps down as commissioner.

She will miss her colleagues, who have received small elephant figurines as farewell gifts from her. However, not all 900 people who have worked under or with Vestager will receive one.

Despite the sad farewell for the departing commissioner, she looks optimistically towards the EU's future. She discusses this in P1 program Ugens gæst ().

- I'm not an optimist who sees the world in rose-colored glasses. I believe one must have a very clear-eyed view of the world.

For the past ten years, she has been responsible for the EU's competition policy, and when it comes to affecting the world, she is particularly proud of having won the latest cases against Google and Apple.

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Margrethe Vestager's blue book

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2019-2024: Vice President and Competition Commissioner

2014 - 2019: EU Commissioner for Competition

2011 - 2014: Minister of Economy and Interior

2011 – 2014: Political Leader for The Radical Left

2001 - 2014: Member of the Danish Parliament (Frederiksborg County, later North Zealand District)

2007 - 2011: Chairman of The Radical Left and Chairman of the Parliamentary Group

2000 – 2001: Minister of Education

1998 - 2000: Minister of Education and Church

Source: European Commission ()

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'With great power comes great responsibility'

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Margrethe Vestager had written her concession speech ready before the ruling in the Apple case was issued.

- Everyone said 'we're going to lose this case', she says.

While she waited for the ruling to be handed down, she put the final touches on her 'concession speech', as she calls it.

- And then we won.

Margrethe Vestager recalls the scene that unfolded just a few weeks earlier, as she receives cold shoulders in the studio.

Apple must pay nearly 100 billion kroner in unpaid taxes to Ireland () according to a ruling from the EU Court of Justice. The country had previously entered a tax agreement with Apple, which meant the company paid very little tax on its EU base, which is located in Ireland.

The court also ruled that Google must pay a fine of nearly 18 billion kroner () for favoring Google Shopping, a price comparison service, over similar services.

> What's the fun in giving up? As long as you're playing, you can win.

> Margrethe Vestager, politician and EU commissioner

Despite the victories, she wishes she could have done more and acted faster during her tenure as commissioner. She hopes, however, that with new legislation and by making it clearer who the major players on the market are and what their responsibilities are, fewer businesses will suffer from market manipulations.

- It doesn't matter how successful you are and how large market shares you have if you think you get to dictate the rules.

- With great power comes great responsibility.

Margrethe Vestager believes that problems in the world can be addressed and that's why she maintains her optimistic outlook. (Photo:© Ditte Valente, Ritzau Scanpix)

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Preserve optimism despite crises

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There are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic or downcast when reading the news about the state of the world.

Extreme drought, extreme rain, extreme heat. War. Poverty. Artificial intelligence taking over the world. Continued high CO2 emissions.

> Most days the world is fairly stable, but we can make a difference.

> Margrethe Vestager, politician and EU commissioner

Despite this, Margrethe Vestager maintains an optimistic outlook. Her new book 'Vestager's World' is about this, as she reveals in Aftenshowet ().

- My problem with pessimists is that they have nothing to offer, because it's just going to be worse tomorrow, she says.

She points out that she can see that it makes a difference to push the world in a different direction, and that the EU's rulings ripple out to the rest of the world.

For example, in the US, there are currently lawsuits against Google before the courts.

The US Department of Justice has already won a major case against Google () where it was determined that Google had used its monopoly in online search to stifle innovation in the sector.

Furthermore, she points to Canada, which is in the process of considering legislation on artificial intelligence (AI), and Australia, which has set up an expert group () to help develop new legislation on AI.

- It's not just an European agenda. It's becoming more and more a global agenda, she says.

Margrethe Vestager told Aftenshowet why she has an optimistic outlook on the world:

She couldn't imagine sitting on the couch, leaning back with a glass of wine, and just giving up on the challenges the world faces.

- Most days the world is fairly stable, but we can make a difference.

It also applies when it comes to the power of tech giants.

- What's the fun in giving up? As long as you're playing, you can win, and of course, you have to play hard, she says in Ugens gæst.

When Margrethe Vestager leaves Brussels, her successor Dan Jørgensen (S) is ready to take over at the Berlaymont building, where the commission is headquartered.

He will become the energy and housing commissioner and will work on reducing energy prices and investing in renewable energy ().

What the future holds for Margrethe Vestager is still uncertain, but in Ugens gæst she is asked if she could imagine taking over as DR's general director after Maria Rørbye Rønn, who is set to retire in 2025. Vestager's response can be heard towards the end of the interview.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.