European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her 2026 State of the Union address on Wednesday (16 Sep) to outline the European Union’s response to an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment, focusing on security, economic competitiveness and international partnerships.
“We are now dealing with an openly hostile world,” von der Leyen told the European Parliament, citing the Russia-Ukraine war, intensifying global competition and growing pressure on democratic institutions. She said Europe must “urgently re-imagine our partnerships and build global coalitions for our resilience and democracies”, highlighting recently concluded EU free trade agreements with India, Mercosur, Mexico, Australia and Indonesia.
She proposed a European Security Council alongside “Europe’s own Article 4, an Emergency Security Protocol” to complement NATO’s Article 4, and invited Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss Canada becoming the first associate member of the European Union.
The address also outlined a broad policy agenda, including:
- A new European security strategy, a European Instrument for Strategic Enablers, and continued military, humanitarian and sanctions support for Ukraine.
- Measures to strengthen European competitiveness, including faster permitting, lower energy costs, a European Corporation on Critical Raw Materials, banking reforms and continued Single Market integration.
- New initiatives on artificial intelligence, climate resilience, energy infrastructure, migration, democratic resilience and digital safety, including proposals for an EU Kids Act and Digital Fairness Act.
- Plans to deepen international partnerships through the Global Gateway, expand connectivity across the South Caucasus and Central Asia, and strengthen cooperation with Canada through an “Alliance for the Future”.
von der Leyen concluded by arguing that Europe must respond collectively to an era of geopolitical and technological change, stating that “the fate of Europe must remain in the hands of Europeans” and calling for a stronger, more independent Union built on peace, democracy and cooperation.
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