Von der Leyen in front of the European Parliament | State of the EU: galloping across the bed

The halo is deceptive: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her speech to the European Parliament Photo: AP/dpa/Pascal Bastien In Brussels, US political shows have obviously been intensively studied. Just as with appearances by Trump and his ilk, the annual speech on the state of the EU, or SOTEU for short, was prepared like a spectacle: a countdown counter ran on the EU Commission's website until the report was presented on Wednesday in the Strasbourg branch of the European Parliament; There were hundreds of public viewings of the report across Europe, the communications team at EU headquarters used practically all social media channels and had apparently invited dozens of influencers (in addition to the crowd of journalists who were already present) to stream from the Strasbourg plenary hall.

Every September for 16 years now, the respective EU presidents - or since 2019 the president - and their entourage have traveled to Strasbourg to sell successes and visions for the future to the MEPs gathered there. The performances are often garnished with guests of honor. Ursula von der Leyen not only brought Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with her to her speech this year, whose country the Commission President offered associate EU membership in view of the good bilateral relations - and probably also as a signal to Washington. Von der Leyen also had relatives of firefighters who were killed while fighting forest fires this summer in tow.

In any case, she made the hot summer with its devastating fires a topic of her speech - but without getting too specific. Your commission will present a package against heat waves, including better early warning systems and better crisis preparedness in the healthcare system. »We need adaptation and cooling in the cities. And we have to support those who are particularly at risk," said von der Leyen and had to be asked by Green Party leader Terry Reintke in the debate: "Where were you and your emergency measures when the forests burned?"

Another focus of the SOTEU speech was dealing with artificial intelligence. The development of AI entails both opportunities and risks, emphasized von der Leyen and announced that he would consult “with the leading AI developers” about how they could slow down development in this area. At the same time, the EU should advance its own AI development. To do this, new ways would have to be found “to use public and private funds to invest in the most promising European start-ups and companies.”

The “EU Kids Act” is also at least indirectly linked to the AI ​​issue. With the law, the Commission wants to protect children and young people from the dangers in the digital space. The EU Commission will present a corresponding package as early as Thursday. The core of this: “No social networks under the age of 13, no own user account under the age of 15”. Minors should be able to use profiles with limited functions and limited usage time per day, "which are set up and supervised by parents."

"We will intensify our work to strengthen Frontex - especially to speed up returns."

In the hodgepodge of economic, financial, foreign, trade policy and administrative topics in the SOTEU speech, the topic of migration could of course not be missing. Against the background of the recent events in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, "vulnerable people are being exploited by heartless human traffickers and smugglers." However, there was no word from the Commission President about the EU's responsibility for migration and dramatic conditions at the external borders. Instead, von der Leyen praised the fact that in the last two years "illegal entries have fallen by 55 percent" - and this year by a further 35 percent. "This is real progress." Von der Leyen announced a new "European crisis response framework" to prevent "mass movements" like in Ceuta. In addition, the EU Commission would “intensify work to strengthen Frontex – especially to speed up returns.”

A main focus that ran through various aspects of the SOTEU speech again in 2026 was the “security” of Europe. And this year too, the most recent drone attacks in EU Europe - supposedly initiated by Russia - provided the former German Defense Minister with a great opportunity. However, the EU can now defend itself better than ever before, said von der Leyen, pointing out that the community has "increased its defense spending by almost 80 percent in the last five years alone." In fact, spending last year reached 418 billion euros (which, at 2.2 percent of gross domestic product, is above NATO's two percent target), and in 2026 it is expected to rise to 454 billion euros. In line with this, the European Parliament approved new rules for faster defense investments on Wednesday: up to 800 billion euros are to be made available for defense projects over the next four years as part of the ReArm Europe program.

In view of cyber attacks, sabotage, arson and drone attacks, which now occur "every day," Europe's "defensive readiness" must also increase, von der Leyen said in his speech. She announced that she would present a new European security strategy. Elements of this should include strengthening cooperation with NATO and a mechanism analogous to Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty - which provides for joint consultations when the security of one or more states is threatened. The parliamentary group leader of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber from the German CSU, sees the EU on the right track. The EU's "naive-mindedness" when it comes to security issues must finally be overcome and a "defense policy pillar" must be established.

In contrast to Weber, the co-chair of the left-wing faction in the European Parliament, Martin Schirdewan, believes that an excess profits tax for defense and energy companies as well as a digital tax are urgently needed. “Europe does not have a problem of knowledge, but rather a problem of distribution,” he summed up von der Leyen’s speech to “nd”. »With her business-as-usual policy, she is exacerbating the very uncertainty that has long determined the everyday lives of many people. The EU Commission lacks the political will to make those who earn billions pay.”

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