European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her speech in 2025 Photographer: Dati Bendo © European Union, 2025

Ursula von der Leyen is expected to make the case for a more independent and resilient Europe in her State of the European Union address on Wednesday (16 September). But analysts and political groups in the European Parliament are demanding something more concrete: evidence that the Commission can turn its expanding ambitions into results Europeans can see.

The State of the European Union address, commonly known in Brussels as the “SOTEU”, is the Commission president’s annual speech to Parliament setting out priorities for the year ahead. Modeled in part on the US president’s State of the Union address to Congress, the EU version began in 2010 under then Commission president José Manuel Barroso. Von der Leyen will deliver this year’s address at 9:00 tomorrow morning (16 September).

The speech comes as Europe is confronted with an ongoing war in Ukraine, a fragmenting global trading system and the challenge of strengthening defence while reviving competitiveness and financing the green transition. At home, von der Leyen must reconcile political groups that broadly agree on the need for a stronger Europe but differ over what that means.

For Manfred Weber, chairman of von der Leyen’s centre-right European People’s Party group, the focus should be on voters’ economic and security concerns.

“Europe’s priorities must reflect people’s concerns: jobs, the cost of living and economic security,” Weber said. He called for a stronger economy and well-paid jobs, tighter control of Europe’s borders, leadership on AI, continued support for Ukraine and “a strong European defence pillar”.

On the centre-left, Iratxe García Pérez, president of the Socialists and Democrats group, argues that the Commission has relied too heavily on deregulation.

“Europe needs more than announcements,” García Pérez said. “It needs concrete policies backed by the necessary resources.” The S&D wants greater emphasis on affordable food, housing and energy, quality jobs and climate action, alongside European sovereignty in defence and digital technologies.

Renew Europe is also making delivery the benchmark, calling on von der Leyen to present “a credible plan turning European ambition into visible results” and framing the choice as one between united European action and fragmentation.

Analysts at the European Policy Centre see the same challenge extending to Europe’s position in the world.

“Von der Leyen will tell us that the EU is forging new partnerships around the globe,” said Almut Möller, the EPC’s director for European and Global Affairs. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s attendance will reinforce the geopolitical dimension of the speech.

But strategic autonomy goes beyond defence and trade. Georg Riekeles, the EPC’s head of political economy, identifies financial dependence as an overlooked vulnerability. With the international financial system becoming less stable, Europe cannot assume Washington and the US Federal Reserve will play the stabilising role they did in previous crises. Von der Leyen “must therefore address financial sovereignty as a core element of European security”, he argues.

Technology poses another test. Elizabeth Kuiper, the EPC’s head of health and societal resilience, says von der Leyen should “reject the trade-off between competitiveness, technological progress, and the EU’s social model”, particularly as AI affects employment, income security and social cohesion.

Climate policy presents a similar collision between ambition and resources. Stefan Šipka, the EPC’s head of sustainable prosperity, argues that Europe needs “a robust delivery mindset, no more strategies” as it tries to combine defence, decarbonisation and economic security.

The common thread is delivery. Von der Leyen has no shortage of strategic objectives. The harder task on Wednesday will be explaining how they fit together, how Europe will finance them and what takes priority when they conflict.

For EPC policy analyst Eric Maurice, von der Leyen “must provide strategic focus and political clarity”.

“As the midterm in her second term approaches,” Maurice said, “it is time for von der Leyen to present a vision and deliver.”

Good afternoon,

I want to start with a simple message – thank you, this is a message for all of you, at my side or in the background. Dear Commissioner, dear Director-General, to the staff from the ERCC and ECHO, thank you for being here when Europe needs you most. As you have said – and I learned a lot in this hour here - day and night, 24/7, weekends and on holidays, whenever a crisis strikes, the team is there. The work you do protects people and most importantly saves lives. When a country asks for help, within hours, that call becomes action. Aircrafts take off, firefighters cross borders, and Copernicus maps reach responders on the ground. What we have seen today and what the ERCC lives everyday is European solidarity in action.

This summer has shown once again how much Europe relies on you. The wildfire season started exceptionally early in late April and put national services under enormous pressure. Since April, the EU civil protection mechanism has been activated 10 times for wildfires in 8 different countries, sometimes with several happening at the same time. When national capacities are stretched, Europe steps in, you can count on Europe. Firefighting aircrafts, helicopters, ground teams with all their expertise, vehicles, satellites, all of this is needed and all of this is mobilised across the continent. And because every single moment counts in an emergency, we are acting before the worst fires begin. Another impressive figure is the nearly 800 firefighters that were pre-positioned in high-risk areas. They stood ready to reinforce local teams from the first critical hours. And over the summer, teams were deployed from 25 countries – Member States and partner countries. And for the very first time, this also included firefighters from Ukraine, helping here in the European Union. Rescue teams have worked heroically. Some tragically lost their lives while bravely protecting others. We honour their courage, we honour their service. Their memory will stay with us, and it will inspire our action moving forward.

The work of this centre goes far beyond the fires, and far beyond Europe. I was impressed to hear that when there was a Hantavirus outbreak on a ship, you prepared repatriation flights and mobilised medical evacuation services. As the earthquakes hit Venezuela, you coordinated the deployment of 750 responders and experts from 18 countries. When Colombia was struck by an earthquake, Europe provided tents, water filters and essential supplies, as well as expertise on the ground. And after the devastating floods in Nepal just last week, we saw the images from Copernicus, you immediately supported the response with Copernicus mapping.

Fires, earthquakes, floods, health emergencies, hybrid attacks, you name it. Each crisis is different and requires a specific response. But most important is that the principle is the same: when help is needed, you can count on Europe. And these crises also paint a bigger picture. The risks around us are changing. They are becoming more frequent, more complex and more severe. Changing global climate patterns are adding to this volatility. Around the world, we see higher temperatures and disrupted rainfall. For emergency services, this is not an abstract warning about the future, it is already changing the emergencies they are facing today. Extreme events happen more often, in more places, and at the same time. This centre has shown time and again that Europe can respond when crisis strikes. But we must also learn from every single crisis and we must turn those lessons into action. So that we adapt faster, strengthen prevention and act before an emergency becomes a disaster. Our civil protection mechanism is pooling and sharing this expertise and the emergency capabilities. When one country comes under pressure, we step in, because as Europe, we are greater than the sum of our parts. That is what this centre demonstrates every day,

I thank you very much for presenting to me the essence of this centre. Of course the time was way too short to speak and see enough. But for me it is also very important preparation for the State of the Union. I thank you for giving me the time, sharing with me your expertise and knowledge. From the bottom of my heart, Europe is grateful for what you're doing.

Thank you.

Nvidia on Wednesday forecast a 70 per cent jump in revenue next fiscal year, underscoring unabated demand for AI computing, while warning about shortages of memory components.

Nvidia on Wednesday forecast a 70 per cent jump in revenue next fiscal year, underscoring unabated demand for AI computing, while warning about shortages of memory components.