European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her second State of the Union address of the current mandate next Wednesday, 16 September, at 9:00 CEST.
The annual speech is due to take place a year after von der Leyen’s 2025 address, which the Commission linked to work it described as “delivering the promise of Europe’s independence,” the Commission noted in a release on Friday.
It said its work over the past 12 months has included steps to boost the EU’s competitiveness and reduce “dangerous overdependencies”, along with measures to make European industry more resilient in response to market distortion and global overcapacity.
It also said the EU has diversified trade opportunities, including new trade agreements spanning the Indo-Pacific and Latin America.
Security, Ukraine and democracy measures
In security and defence, the Commission said SAFE is “spurring major defence investments” across Europe, and it pointed to work on projects including “Eastern Flank Watch”.
The EU has continued support for Ukraine, including first disbursements under a €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, and it cited the opening of two accession clusters — subject areas used in the process of joining the EU — alongside 21 sanctions packages against Russia.
The Commission also highlighted work through a “European Democracy Shield” and its rule of law tools, as well as a “digital rulebook” it said is intended to protect and empower citizens, particularly young people.
A brochure and timeline summarising what the Commission described as key milestones from the past year were published on Wednesday.
The speech will be broadcast on the EU’s EBS audiovisual platform next Wednesday morning.
