European Commission President Delivers 2026 State of the Union Address

Key points

• European Commission President von der Leyen delivered the 2026 State of the Union address in Strasbourg on September 16, describing the EU as both the strongest and most precarious it has ever been.
• She proposed accelerating Single Market reform and permitting, citing 12 omnibus proposals cutting administrative burden by around EUR 17 billion a year, and called on Member States to sign a pact against gold-plating.
• Plans include a new European Corporation on Critical Raw Materials to obtain and stockpile materials needed for EVs, chips, batteries, clean tech and defence.
• A climate resilience framework will identify 100 of the most vulnerable territories, and a Climate Insurance Alliance will be set up, as only around 25% of catastrophe losses in Europe are currently covered by private insurance.
• The EU KIDS ACT proposal: no social media under age 13, no personal accounts under 15, and safe-design obligations for platforms for ages 15-18.
• A new European security strategy and a 'European Article 4' Emergency Security Protocol were proposed, along with a European Instrument for Strategic Enablers aligned with NATO.
• An Alliance for the Future with Canada was announced, with an invitation for Canada to become the EU's first associate member.
• A Middle Corridor connectivity project aims to crowd in up to EUR 12 billion in public and private investment through Global Gateway.