What to expect
The State of the Union (SOTEU) address is an annual speech by the President of the European Commission to the European Parliament, setting the priorities for the Union for the year ahead.
In this year's address, President Ursula von der Leyen will share her vision and major initiatives for the year ahead, building on the EU's achievements so far.
On 16 September 2026 a livestream of the State of the Union speech will be available on this page.
Delivering Europe's independence
Strengthening Europe’s ability to act in a changing world has been the focus of our efforts in the past year. The European Commission has worked to boost competitiveness, reduce strategic dependencies, strengthen defence, support Ukraine, expand global partnerships and protect democracy and citizens. These efforts aim to build a more independent, secure and prosperous Europe. We are showing that when we are tested, Europe responds together.
Explore what we have achieved over the past year, the commitments we delivered on and how we turned them into concrete action.
Key actions
- 16 October 2025Defence readiness roadmap 2030 to boost European defence capabilities
It includes flagship projects like Eastern Flank Watch, European Drone Defence Initiative, European Air Shield, and European Space Shield. The first five joint projects were proposed in July 2026. The Commission has also presented the military mobility package to build a military Schengen that ensures the seamless movement of troops, equipment, and other military assets across the EU.
- 12 November 2025European democracy shield and the EU strategy for civil society
They aim to encourage stronger engagement, support civil society organisations, and promote resilient democracies across the EU.
- 28 November 2025Pact for the Mediterranean
The aim is to deepen cooperation and take an important step toward a more stable, secure, and prosperous common Mediterranean space.
- 10 December 2026European grids package and the energy highways initiative
They aim to accelerate the development of energy infrastructure across the EU and to provide short-term support to eight of the most urgent energy infrastructure projects. Together with the electrification action plan and the review of the Emissions Trading System in July 2026 the Commission wants to make Europe the first electro-powered continent and measures to support EU’s industry in the clean transition and electrification.
- 16 December 2025European affordable housing plan
It aims to boosting housing supply and investment, and improving access to affordable, sustainable and good-quality housing.
- 17 January 2026The EU and Mercosur sign a historic trade agreement
In the past year the EU, has concluded trade agreements also with Australia, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Switzerland. It also continued negotiations with Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
- 10 February 2026Action plan against cyberbullying to protect young people online
The Commission is leading the way in creating a secure digital space for children. In April 2026 it announced the technical readiness of an European age verification app, while in July 2026 the Special Panel on child safety online delivered its final report, which highlights the critical challenges children face online and provides recommendations.
- 4 March 2026Industrial accelerator act
It aims at boosting demand for low-carbon, European-made products, strengthening manufacturing and supply chains, simplifying permitting, and supporting investment and job creation in strategic sectors.
- 18 March 2026EU Inc. - a new optional, digital-by-default European company framework
It introduces a single set of corporate rules to make it easier for businesses to start, operate and grow across the single market.
- 24 April 2026One Europe, One Market roadmap
It sets out concrete actions, targets and timelines to strengthen competitiveness and complete the single market by 2027.
- 6 May 2026First-ever anti-poverty strategy
In the past year the Commission has continued its work to create a union of equality. Besides the anti-poverty strategy, the Commission has adopted the LGBTIQ+ strategy, the EU anti-racism strategy, gender equality strategy and the first-ever strategy on intergenerational fairness.
- 13 May 2026Passenger package to enable seamless cross-border rail travel
It introduces a single-ticket bookings and enhance passenger rights across entire journeys. It follows the transport package from November 2025, to accelerate the deployment of Europe’s high-speed rail network and stimulate investment in renewable and low-carbon fuels for aviation and shipping.
- 3 June 2026European technological sovereignty package
It includes the chips act 2.0, the cloud and AI development act, the open-source strategy, and a roadmap for digitalisation and AI in energy. In addition the Commission also launched the apply AI strategy and the AI in science strategy to accelerate the use of AI across the EU and presented an action plan to address the risks and harness the opportunities of advanced AI models for cybersecurity.
- 15 June 2026The Council opens negotiations on the first cluster in Ukraine's accession process.
This lays the foundations for Ukraine’s future in the EU. Europe has shown that it will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. The EU countries have also agreed to an additional €90 billion in support for Ukraine’s budget and military needs in 2026 and 2027, in addition to the more than €200 billion already provided.
- July and August 2026Wildfires rage across Europe
Over the summer a several massive wildfires raged in several EU countries. The Commission has coordinated the deployment of 777 firefighters and 41 aircraft across borders to help countries tackle wildfires.
About the State of the Union
SOTEU is about making sure that Europe is meeting the expectations of Europeans.
The year in action
Visit of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to UkraineNicușor Dan, 1st, Maia Sandu, 2nd, Olena Zelenska, 3rd, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 4th, Ursula von der Leyen, 5th, and Bajram Begaj, 6th (from left to right) 
Participation of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and of the College of Commissioners, in the opening of the Cypriot PresidencyEU Commissioners and Cypriot Ministers visiting Cyprus 
Participation of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in the first meeting of the President’s Youth Advisory BoardGroup photo with, in the 1st row, Ursula von der Leyen, in the center, and Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, 5th from the right 
Visit of Ursula von de Leyen, President of the European Commission, to AustraliaAnthony Albanese, on the left, and Ursula von der Leyen 
Participation of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in the G7 summitGroup photo with António Costa, 1st, Giorgia Meloni, 2nd, Lee Jae-Myung, President of South Korea, 3rd, Keir Stamer, 5th, Donald Trump, 6th, William Ruto, President of Kenya, 7th, Emmanuel Macron, 8th, Sanae Takaichi, 9th, Narendra Modi, Indian Prime Minister, 10th, Mark Carney, 11th, Friedrich Merz, 12th, Ursula von der Leyen, 13th, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, 14th (from left to right) 
Participation of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in the International Charlemagne PrizeUrsula von der Leyen, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek Prime Minister, and Mario Draghi (from left to right) 
Visit of Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner, to SingaporeApóstolos Tzitzikóstas 
Visit of Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner, to IndiaFrom left to right: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, Maroš Šefčovič, Narendra Modī, Indian Prime Minister, and Piyush Goyal 
Visit of a project group on Commissioners on Startups and Scale-ups, to the European Commission Ekaterina Zaharieva, 2nd from the right 
Visit of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to GreenlandUrsula von der Leyen, on the left 
Visit of Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to JapanStéphane Séjourné at the Japanese Pavilion - EXPO 2025. 
Visit of Costas Kadis, European Commissioner, to PortugalCostas Kadis, 1st, and José Manuel Fernandes, 3th (from left to right) 
Visit by Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to GermanyGunnar Groebler, Chairman of Salzgitter AG, second right, and Stéphane Séjourné, second left, during the visit of the Salzgitter Steel factory. 
Visit of Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner, to EthiopiaJozef Síkela, on the left 
Visit of Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner, to MoroccoJozef Síkela 
Visit of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to IndiaAntónio Costa, on the left, Ursula von der Leyen, 2n from the left, and Droupadi Murmu, President of India, on the right 
Visit of Costas Kadis, European Commissioner, to LatviaCostas Kadis during his visits of Verģi factory 
Visit of Costas Kadis, European Commissioner, to FranceCostas Kadis, 4th from the left, during a visit to the Cité de la Mer (City of the Sea) with the submarine "Le Redoutable" 
Visit of Maria Luís Albuquerque, European Commissioner, to Czech RepublicHandhake between Petr Koblic, 2nd and Maria Luís Albuquerque, 3rd (from left to right) 
Visit of Maria Luís Albuquerque, European Commissioner, to RomaniaMaria Luís Albuquerque, on the right, addressing the students of Romania's Academy of Economic Studies 
Visit of Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, to ColombiaKaja Kallas, 3rd from the right. 
Visit of Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, to Bosnia and Herzegovina Kaja Kallas, in the center, speaking to the soldiers of the EUFOR Althea 
Visit of Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union and Vice-President of the European Commission, to NorwayKaja Kallas, on the right, onboard the Coast Guard “KV Bjørnøya”. 
Visit of Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner, to VenezuelaHadja Lahbib, 3rd from the left, during her visit to an emergency camp in Maiquetía 
Visit of Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner, to EthiopiaGroup photo with Hadja Lahbib, 4th from the left, and Amma Twum-Amoah, African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS), 5th from the left 
Visit of Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner, to MauritaniaMagnus Brunner, in the center, during a visit of the GAR-SI project with a demonstration of their activities 
Participation of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Jessika Roswall and Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioners, in the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Festival 2026Ekaterina Zaharieva, on the left, during her visit of the fair 
Visit of Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner, to LebanonGroup photo with, from left to right: Lora Borissova, Expert to the Cabinet of Hadja Lahbib, 2nd, Beatriz Navarro-Rubio, Head of Office at the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operation (DG ECHO), 5th, Sandra De Waele, Head of the EU Delegation to Lebanon, 6th, and Hadja Lahbib, 9th 
Visit of Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner, to MontenegroMagnus Brunner, on the left, meets with MNE Border Guards and Frontex 
Visit of Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner, to HungaryJessika Roswall, center, visit with László Gajdos, Minister for Living Environment, second left. 
Visit of Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner, to FranceDan Jorgensen, on the left, and Pietro Barabaschi, gives a visit to ITER site in Saint-Paul-Les-Durance. 
Visit of Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner, to SwedenMatthew Pine, Xylem CEO, on the right, and Jessika Roswall, in the center. 
Visit by Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner, to SwedenViveka Beckeman, Director General of the Swedish Forest Industries, 2nd, and Jessika Roswall, 3rd (from left to right) 
Visit of Piotr Serafin, European Commissioner, in LatviaPiotr Serafin, on the left, during the visit of Aerones company 
Visit of Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner, to FinlandDan Jørgensen, center, visits the MOV Refinery in Schwechat, Austria. 
Participation of Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner, in a tour and fireside chat with selected researchers - Science is wonderful!Ekaterina Zaharieva, on the right, during her visit 
Visit of Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-president of the European Commission, to LithuaniaRaffaele Fitto, in the center, during a visit of Lithuania-Belarus border 
Launch of the 20 km of Brussels, under the patronage of Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European CommissionRoxana Mînzatu, 2nd (from left to right, in the foreground) 
Visit of Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to MaltaRaffaele Fitto and Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, in the foreground, during a visit to Gozo's Reverse Osmosis at Hondoq ir-Rummien (from left to right) 
Visit of Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to EstoniaHandshake between Roxana Mînzatu, on the left, and a robot, at the Tallinn University of Technology 
Visit of Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to IrelandRoxana Mînzatu, 3rd, visiting the workshop at Cork College of FET (from left to right) 
Visit of Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner, to FranceGabor Wyszoczky, Policy Assistant to the Cabinet of Olivér Várhely, 1st, and Olivér Várhelyi, 2nd (from left to right, in the foreground) 
Visit of Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner, to New ZealandLawrence Meredith, EU Ambassador to New Zealand, on the right, and Maroš Šefčovič. 
Participation of Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner, at Medal Ceremony of the Agreement in respect of Gibraltar (Uccle)José Manuel Albares Bueno and Maroš Šefcovic (from left to right) 
Visit by Marta Kos, European Commissioner, to MoldovaGheorghe Hajder, Minister of Environment of Moldova, first right, and Marta Kos, second right, during an exchange with media & NGOs over hot tea. 
Participation of Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner, to an High-level launch event : the opening of Europeans first electric, only station and services area (fastnet)Matthias Pletinckx, 1st from the right, and Wopke Hoekstra, 3rd from the right 
Visit of Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to PortugalRaffaele Fitto during his visit of the Lisbon Drainage Master Plan (LDMP) 
Visit of Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner, to SpainLuis Planas, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain, in the center and Olivér Várhelyi, on the right, during a visit to the post container inspection facility – BCP Algeciras. 
Visit by Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner, to PolandAndrius Kubilius, in the center, during a visit to MESKO, Military Equipment Producer. 
Visit of Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner, to PortugalWopke Hoekstra, 2nd from the left, during a visit to Project- LK2BM (The Navigator Pulp Setúbal SA) 
Visit of Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner, to the NetherlandsWopke Hoekstra, 3rd from the left, during his visit of Yara Sluiskil 
Visit of Christophe Hansen, European Commissioner, to MaltaAnton Refalo, on the right and Christophe Hansen, in the middle, visit to a local dairy farm 
Visit of Marta Kos, European Commissioner, to UkraineMarta Kos, 2nd from the left. 
Visit of Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner, to PortugalAndrius Kubilius, in the background 
Visit of Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner, to Croatia Ivan Anušić, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and Andrius Kubilius, looking at military drones during their visit to the Colonel Marko Živković Barracks (from left to right) 
Visit of Marta Kos, European Commissioner, to MontenegroMarta Kos participating in a seabed cleanup operation, 2nd from the left 
Visit of Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner, to LithuaniaAndrius Kubilius, on the left, at the NATO-Ukraine Defence Innovators Forum. 
Participation of Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to the Global Gateway Forum 2025 San Bilal, Teresa Ribera, and Kerryne Zennelle James (from left to right) 
Visit of Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to FinlandTeresa Ribera, 3rd, Terhi Lehtonen, Member of the Cabinet of Teresa Ribera, 4th, Elina Laurinen, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Finland, 5th, and Kalle Riihinen, Chief Operating Officer at Nordic Bioproducts Group Ltd., 7th (from left to right) 
Visit of Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to ItalyHenna Virkkunen and Rosa Grimaldi, Mayor Delegate for Innovation in Bologna (from left to right) 
Visit of Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner, to LatviaValdis Dombrovskis, 2nd from the left, visiting the headquarters of the Madara cosmetics group 
Visit of Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner, to CzechiaValdis Dombrovskis, and Monika Ladmanová, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Czechia (from left to right) 
Visit of Michael McGrath, European Commissioner, to JapanMichael McGrath at the Spain Pavilion, of the EXPO 2025 
Visit of Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to FranceSophie Viger, 2nd, and Henna Virkkunen, 6th (from left to right) 
Visit of Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner, to MaltaGlenn Micallef, 3rd from the right, visits the Kalkara Regatta Club 
Visit of Michael McGrath, European Commissioner, to ChinaHenry Paeckert, in the middle and Micheal McGrath, on the right, at BASF for a visit of the facilities 
Visit of Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to CanadaStéphane Séjourné, at the podium, and Melanie Joly, giving a press conference 
Visit of Christophe Hansen, European Commissioner, to SpainJuan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, 1st, Christophe Hansen, 2nd and María José García-Pelayo Jurado, Mayor of Jerez de la Frontera, 4th from the left, during their visit to La Barriada La Ina 
Participation of Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner, in a meeting with Culture Action Europe Networks on Culture CompassGlenn Micallef, on the right 
Visit of Dubravka Šuica, European Commissioner, to EgyptDubravka Šuica, 4th from the left, during a visit of Grand Egyptian Museum 
Visit of Dubravka Šuica, European Commissioner, to PalestineDubravka Šuica and Mohammad Mustafa (from left to right) 
Participation of Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, at the United Nations General AssemblyGroup photo with Teresa Ribera, on the right, and Michael Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, 3rd from the right 
Visit of Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to DenmarkHenna Virkkunen, 2nd from the left, during a visit at Norsea 
Visit of Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to SwedenStéphane Séjourné, 2nd and Ebba Busch, 3rd, during the visit of the iron mine (from left to right) 
Visit of Piotr Serafin, European Commissioner, to PortugalGroup photo with, from left to right: Vitor Ferreira, Mayor of Amadora, 9th, Piotr Serafin, 11th, and members from the Orquestra Geração.