Officially marking the end of the summer holidays for the EU institutions, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will hold her annual State of the Union (SOTEU) speech in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday morning.
The hour-long address starts at 09:00 (and can be watched here via livestream) and will allow Von der Leyen to set out her priorities for the EU in the coming year, reflect on the past year and announce new initiatives.
The address is followed by a debate with Members of the European Parliament – fostering a more transparent and democratic EU and allowing MEPs to scrutinise the Commission's work and help to steer EU policy.
This is Von der Leyen's first SOTEU address since starting a second mandate as President of the European Commission just over ten months ago, and the pressure is on. This comes not just from the European Parliament, but also from global events.
The back-to-work speech in September sets the political tone for the year ahead, usually marking a fresh start. However, as Von der Leyen has to deal with a series of geopolitical challenges, growing divisions in the bloc's unity and increasingly loud questions about her leadership, this year's instalment could be quite sombre.
One day to go until the State of the Union.
Discussions continue with @Europarl_EN leaders. With dialogue and determination, we can drive Europe forward. Tune in at 9 am tomorrow for #SOTEU pic.twitter.com/JTzcsYnYH7 — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 9, 2025
During the address, the focus is expected to be on the global challenges confronting the European Union (including EU-US relations), the EU's continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression, and European defence and security. Enlargement and the Western Balkans will likely also feature in the address.
However, the EU's next long-term budget is also expected to be high on the agenda, as well as sustainable prosperity and competitiveness, the EU’s green and digital transitions (including AI), and how to protect democracy and core EU values.
Following heavy criticism for the EU-US trade agreement, a lack of transparency, unravelling policies to tackle climate change, a lack of leadership on the international stage, and an unclear plan to reduce the cost of living in the EU or grow the bloc's economy, Von der Leyen might be on the defensive.
