EU chief to lay out priorities and vision for tackling the bloc’s challenges in major speech
Von der Leyen is expected to detail new EU measures on Ukraine, climate, migration and competitiveness in a closely watched annual address.
- On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers her annual State of the European Union address in Strasbourg, outlining the Commission's priorities for the coming year.
- Following July's massive migrant influx into Ceuta, Spain, von der Leyen is expected to propose stricter asylum measures and announce the 'EU Kids Act' to regulate minors' social media use.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attends as special guest while von der Leyen highlights the 90 billion euro loan supporting Ukraine and calls on third countries to fill the remaining budget gap.
- EU diplomats indicate Canada may join the bloc's loan scheme on terms similar to the U.K., potentially addressing Ukraine's $27 billion budget hole as Brussels weighs additional energy infrastructure support.
- Member states remain divided on key issues including unanimity requirements and industrial policy, posing challenges to implementing the Commission's proposed legislative agenda despite von der Leyen's ambitious announcements.
170 Articles
170 Articles
What topics does the European Union intend to address in the near future? What plan does the German President of the Commission have? The state of the EU speech now live.
Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presents the most important political priorities for the coming year.
The President of the European Commission will speak from 9 a.m. in Strasbourg for her sixth consecutive re-entry.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will appeal on Wednesday to the solidarity of the EU states in addressing climate change, artificial intelligence and competition with China, claiming that no EU country can face these challenges alone.
As expected, Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union speech this year, which she will deliver at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg at 9 a.m. today, is built around the creation of common European independence and sovereignty. The President of the European Commission is expected to present how the EU can increase its own room for manoeuvre in an international environment in which it is dependent on others in many areas, from…
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will address the state of the European Union in her annual speech today. Unlike Prinsjesdag, it is not widely known in advance what her State of the Union address will be about. "No one really knows exactly what she is going to say right up until the very last moment," says Europe correspondent Luc de Klerk. "It could even happen that she surprises one of her own commissioners."
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