European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her sixth State of the Union address before the European Parliament on Wednesday, using the annual speech to set out her political agenda at a moment when the European Union faces a convergence of external and internal pressures.
Von der Leyen has staked her political legacy on the effort to make Europe more independent in a dangerous world. Wednesday's address will be her opportunity to explain how that project is progressing and what comes next, according to officials familiar with the preparations.
The speech comes as the bloc confronts a set of overlapping challenges: Russia's war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, devastating wildfires across southern Europe, and the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House after November's US presidential election. Each of these issues has sharpened the debate in Brussels over how far the EU should go in building its own defense capacity, securing its supply chains, and asserting its interests on the global stage.
The State of the Union address, known in Brussels as SOTEU, is the Commission president's most prominent platform of the year. It is traditionally used to announce new legislative initiatives, set spending priorities, and frame the political direction of the Commission for the coming twelve months. Von der Leyen's previous addresses have introduced major policy packages on climate, digital regulation, and defense industrial strategy.
This year's speech carries particular weight because it falls in the final stretch of the current Commission's mandate. The European Parliament elections in June reshaped the political balance in Brussels, and von der Leyen secured a second term as Commission president after a closely contested vote. Her address on Wednesday is expected to serve as both a progress report on her first term and a preview of the priorities she intends to pursue in her second.
Among the themes likely to feature are the EU's continued military and financial support for Ukraine, the bloc's defense industrial base, and the question of how Europe should prepare for a possible change in American foreign policy. The prospect of a Trump presidency has prompted renewed discussion in European capitals about the continent's reliance on NATO and on US security guarantees, themes von der Leyen has addressed repeatedly in recent months.
Climate policy is also expected to figure prominently. The wildfires that have swept through Greece, Spain, and other member states in recent summers have intensified pressure on the Commission to balance its ambitious green agenda against the economic concerns of farmers, manufacturers, and households facing rising energy costs. Von der Leyen has faced criticism from both environmental groups and industry associations over the pace and direction of the European Green Deal.
Migration, enlargement, and the rule of law are among the other issues that have dominated the EU's agenda in recent months and could appear in the address. The Commission president is also likely to touch on the bloc's economic competitiveness, following a series of reports warning that Europe is falling behind the United States and China in key technologies.
The speech will be delivered to members of the European Parliament, who will then debate its contents. As in previous years, the address is expected to generate significant reaction from political groups across the spectrum, with centrist and progressive parties likely to welcome commitments on climate and social policy, while conservative and right-wing groups may press for a slower regulatory agenda and tougher migration measures.
For von der Leyen, the stakes are personal as well as institutional. She has described Europe's push for strategic autonomy as the defining project of her time in office, and Wednesday's address will be judged in part on whether it offers a convincing account of how that project can be sustained in a world where the old certainties of the post-war order are increasingly in question.