On 10 September 2025, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen delivered her first State of the Union address for her 2024-2029 mandate. In it, she set a bold agenda for the months to come. She outlined a vision that ranges from bolstering Europe’s competitiveness and resilience to deepening our partnerships and reinforcing our democratic foundations. “This must be Europe’s independence moment. I believe this is our Union’s mission. To be able to take care of our own defence and security. To take control over the technologies and energies that will fuel our economies. To decide what kind of society and democracy we want to live in. To be open to the world and choose to strike partnerships with allies - old and new. It is about having the freedom and the power to determine our own destiny. And we know we can do it. Because together we have shown what is possible when we have the same ambition, unity and urgency.”Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission Page contents Page contents Competitivenessscale up innovation, unlocking the potential for digital technologies, through the EU cloud and AI development act and the 28th regime and European innovation actwork on clean homegrown energy, by strengthening the energy grid infrastructure through a new grids package, and ensure the future of clean tech continues to be made in Europe, through an industrial accelerator actsimplify the regulatory environment with a single harmonised set of rules, through additional ‘omnibus’ simplification packages that build on the six that have already been tabled Watch the statement on competitiveness Defence and security invest in supporting our Member States at the Eastern borders with an Eastern flank watch as a way of ensuring no movement of forces goes unnoticedbetter protect our borders by enhancing our European Border and Coast Guard Regulationmake European defence stronger and more credible through a Roadmap for European defence readiness, which could mobilise up to €800 billion in defence investments and by creating a European defence semesternew rules on fighting organised crime and new sanctions regime for targeting smugglers and traffickers Watch the statement on defence and security Ukrainehost a summit of international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children, aiming to ensure every abducted child is returned to their homesupport the country with a reparations loan, backed by immobilised Russian assetslaunch a Qualitative Military Edge programme to bolster Ukraine’s armed forces, with a specific focus on drones Watch the statement on Ukraine Middle Easthalt bilateral support to Israel, excluding civil society and Yad Vashem, and propose sanctions on extremist ministers and violent settlerspartially suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement on trade mattersestablish a Palestine donor group, including a dedicated Gaza reconstruction instrument Watch the statement on Middle East European social fairnessmake housing more affordable, more sustainable and of better quality, with proposals such as the affordable housing planstep up the fight against poverty through a European anti-poverty strategyempower Europe’s workforce by proposing a quality jobs act, to ensure that modern employment keeps pace with the modern economysupport wider society more generally from rural communities to urban areas, through a strategy for outermost regions and agenda for cities Watch the statement on European social fairness Quality of lifeput forward a European climate adaptation plan to step up Europe’s climate resilience and adaptation effortsimprove food security by supporting our farmers and the wider EU agricultural sector with an initiative on the generational renewal of farming and with the omnibus package on foodprotect wildlife and environment through a livestock strategy including elements on animal welfare and the ocean act Watch the statement on quality of life Democracy and our valuesenhance capacity to monitor and detect information manipulation and disinformation by putting in place the European democracy shieldbetter protect consumers online through the digital fairness act and online users more generally with initiatives like the action plan against cyberbullyingfight corruption through the anti-corruption strategy and also by launching a new media resilience programme to protect our media and independent press Watch the statement on democracy and our values A global Europework to conclude ongoing trade negotiations such as the historic deal with Indiastrengthen mutually beneficial partnerships, such as with the pact for the Mediterraneantake the lead on global health by heading a new Global Health Resilience Initiative Watch the statement on a global Europe EU budget and reformfinalise an ambitious budget that delivers for Europeans
