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‘Some people want to backslide on women’s rights,’ von der Leyen warns
Von der Leyen then moves to women’s rights, as she warns that “some people want to backslide” on them.
“They want to send us back in an age where women were second class citizens.
We have fought so hard for equal treatment, equal opportunities, equal pay.
Look around this room. Finally, there are many of us here presidents, vice-presidents, group leaders, commissioners, members of the European Parliament, staffers and ushers.
So let me send a very clear signal and message. Women are here to stay. We will defend our rights. And we will continue to stand up for our values every single day.”
Von der Leyen also says that AI benefits are “unevenly spread between skill sets, generations, and region.”
She says the EU’s response “must keep pace, from education to employment.”
She also goes through other social proposals, including on housing “to tackle short term rental and housing speculations.”
Von der Leyen’s state of the union speech – in pictures
‘We want AI with human agency,’ von der Leyen says
Von der Leyen then moves to the issue of artificial intelligence.
She says Europe’s stance is clear: Europe wants to “make the most” of the technology to “improve our societies, our quality of life and our productivity,” but is aware of “massive risks” that come with its rollout.
“As the frontier models become more capable, these risks have become sharper and come sharper into focus,” she says.
“CEOs of the most advanced companies tell us that it is time to slow down on the self recursive models to pace the frontier. If the people developing the technology are clear, then we should be too.”
She says the EU will “step up together” with like-minded partners like Canada and the UK, working particularly on “model evaluation, verification, early warning, AI security.”
She says the EU will invite the main frontier labs for discussions on how we can support ongoing industry efforts to pace the frontier.”
She also says Europe needs “its own capabilities,” and “massively boost our computing capacity.”
She then says “the next leg of this race is not only about frontier models.”
“Just as with the printing press in times gone by; it was invented by a German inventor, but it was mastered and applied across western Europe. So we do not need to develop the frontier technology to be the ones who draw the greatest value from it. The key is creating the value that AI has not yet delivered.”
She says the EU can lead on applications in real life scenarios, whether on a factory floor, a hospital ward, in precision agriculture, or autonomous driving.
“This is where the real value is hidden and it is where Europe has big advantages.”
She talks specifically about AI applications in health.
“Do I want my doctor to have instant AI access to all the data needed to make the best diagnostic treatment and choice? Yes, of course. But do I want my doctor to be a robot? … No, of course not. I do not want a robot to tell me whether I have cancer or not. The point is, AI needs to empower our doctors not to replace them. And this is just one example.”
She says the EU’s approach is clear: “we want artificial intelligence; we want AI to create more value, more responsibility, and at a lower cost and with less energy consumption.”
“But above all, we want AI with human agency. This is the essence of the European way.”
Von der Leyen leads parliament in moving tribute to helicopter pilot who died when fighting wildfires in Greece
Von der Leyen then turns to water and food security, stressing “the risks of water scarcity for our farmers, SMEs, energy and supply chains.”
“Yet European pipes lose almost one litre in every four litres, mostly through leakage. What a waste.”
She hails Europe’s farmers for their resilience this summer, and pledges to “support them every step of their way.”
She then turns to wildfires, warning that “they are getting more intense, more frequent and more spread out.”
“We need to think bigger and learn faster,” she says.
She says the EU will work on its preparedness and emergency rules.
She specifically pays tribute to a 46-year-old Danish pilot, Rune Kyndal, who died in a tragic accident in Greece in July when taking part in an emergency mission.
With his family in the attendance, von der Leyen says “all of Europe owes him,” as the parliament raises to a standing ovation for Kyndal.
‘The hottest summer month ever, but the coolest of years to come,’ von der Leyen call for urgency on climate
Von der Leyen turns to climate next.
She says that “our future prosperity and security will greatly depend on how we manage the tipping points of our points: climate change and AI.”
On climate, she says “this summer was the summer of truth,” with “almost no part of our continent spared.”
She lists places and rivers affected, with 660,000 hectares burned to ground, some 12 million tonnes of crops lost, and over 35,000 excess deaths.
“All of this is a mere preview. This was the hottest summer months ever, but probably the coolest of the years to come.”
She says that “the transition is complex and we will need to adjust and learn along the way,” but “there is no doubt: Europe can, must and will stay the course on our climate targets.”
She says the EU will propose a new package on climate resilience next month, and a separate package on heatwave preparedness, including rules on urban adaptation, cooling.
Von der Leyen then turns to investment and growth, as well as the EU’s next budget.
She talks about the need to simplify and tackle fragmentation on investment to help fund European start ups.
She pays specific tribute to the success of ICEYE, a radar satellite imaging and space-based monitoring company, built by Finland’s Pekka Laurila and Poland’s Rafał Modrzewski after they met through Erasmus student exchange programme 15 years ago.
“Today they are one of the world’s leading space technology companies,” she says. “You are a true European success story.”
EU’s trade relationship with China ‘unsustainable’ and need to be rebalanced, von der Leyen says
Von der Leyen turns specifically to China, warning that the EU’s trade deficit with China is now €1bn a day, and it has “reached its tipping point.”
“Some say the second China shock is looming, but it’s already here. It shows in our communities and factories across our union. It leads to deindustrialisation in the industrial heartlands of Europe. This is unsustainable.”
She says the EU “will use all tools at our disposal to rebalance our relationships.”
She also talks about the need to diversify on critical raw materials.
‘We need to electrify Europe,’ von der Leyen says, to cut fossil fuel costs down
Von der Leyen also talks about the need to reform Europe’s energy market.
She says “Europe cannot remain an industrial powerhouse if its energy prices are structurally too high.”
She says the bloc successfully pivoted towards homegrown cleaner energies in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine, but it still “bitterly felt the cost” of the strait of Hormuz closing later.
“We need to double down on our affordable and home-grown clean energy. Be it renewables or nuclear, be it biomethane or others. Technologically neutral. But these energies must give us independence and drive down energy prices.”
She says “we need to electrify Europe,” and cut the fossil fuel import bill.
She says lots of renewable capacity is waiting to be connected, and the EU needs to speed up grid connections.
She then turns to trade.
Von der Leyen says “kickstarting Europe’s economy is our number one priority,” as Europe needs to tap into its huge market, world class industries and services.
She says its single market remains too fragmented and needs to reform further, with the aim of completing it by the end of next year.
“In today’s economy, speed is of the essence. A permanent permit or a form, a grid connection of financing decision – all of this can determine where an investment is made and where jobs are created. We need to move much faster,” she says.
Von der Leyen also talks about the need to simplify its rules.
von der Leyen warns against anti-European ultranationalists and Russia who ‘despise our values’
Von der Leyen frames it as a choice between “independent Europe that stands up for its values in this world,” or “letting divisions and dependencies hold us back.”
“Do we want to rally around our European idea that together we can decide our own destiny? Or do we let our democracies be undermined by the proxies and puppets of authoritarians?
Whether it is the ultra nationalist or the anti-European, whether it’s Russian interference or disinformation, the names may be different, but their goal is the same.
They despise our values and they want to shatter our European unity. So let’s not only fight back against that, but let’s fight together for our European ideal.”
‘We are now dealing with an openly hostile world,’ EU’s von der Leyen warns
Von der Leyen warns that “we are now dealing with an openly hostile world,” in which “old assumptions and relationships have frayed.”
She talks about “a territorial war of aggression” in Ukraine, “a fight for industrial capacities” and “narratives,” and “the dizzying speech of change and technology” impacting people’s lives.
“We see this in the rise of the extreme and the decline of nuance, even in the way that we relate to each other. These real concerns are being weaponised to drive a wedge between us, sometimes from the outside, but too often from the inside.
But our path is clear. Building an independent Europe that has the power to act. Nothing can divert us from this. Because in this world, the fate of Europe must remain in the hands of Europeans.”
EU ‘the strongest’ but ‘most precarious’ it has even been, von der Leyen says
Von der Leyen begins her speech.
She quotes Charles Dickens’s description of the days of the French Revolution, “it was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”
“It is also a fair description of the world we live in,” she says, as she adds “the speed of change is incredible.”
“I would say the state of our union is the strongest it has ever been. The state of our union can also feel as precarious as it has ever been. These two statements may seem incompatible, but they are both true and they reflect these exceptional times.”
She says Europe “has chosen to forge its own path” as it navigates “the complex age of … great possibilities and … great perils.”
Europe is “breaking free from the toxic dependency on Russian fossil fuels,” better prepared to defend itself than ever before, and standing for its values with Ukraine and Greenland, she says.
“In the cold fragility of today’s world, only Europe can provide true sovereignty for Europeans,” she says.
EP’s Metsola sets out what people expect from Europe:
“Our union has always moved forward because people were willing to take a leap where the moment demanded it and turned uncertainty into possibility.
People expect a union that does more to protect them, more to support them, and more to fight their corner.
They want answers on security, on competitiveness, on affordable homes, on quality jobs, on climate, on borders. They want us to stand up for a Europe of values …”
She goes on, also pointedly mentioning the need to continue supporting Ukraine.
Opening the session, the European parliament president Roberta Metsola welcomes Canada’s Carney, who gets long and warm applause from EU lawmakers.
“They haven’t heard you giving your speech yet,” laughs Metsola.
We are about to start.
It’s also worth noting that this year’s SOTU will see a special guests in attendance: Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney.
He will listen to von der Leyen’s speech as Canada seeks closer ties with the EU – particularly on defence, digital regulation and trade – amid growing tensions with and outright repeated threats from US president Donald Trump.
Carney will also address the European parliament on Thursday.
Watch von der Leyen’s SOTU live – video
The speech is expected to start in the next 10-15 minutes, so you can watch as the European Parliament’s Hemicycle in Strasbourg is filling up ahead of the speech.
Here’s our live stream for today:
Morning opening: The state of the European Union
Jakub Krupa
The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is about to speak at the European parliament to discuss “the state of the Union” in her annual speech about the EU’s place in the ever more complicated world.
Her speech in Strasbourg comes as the list of challenges facing the bloc grows ever longer – not least an increasingly aggressive Russia following incidents involving Denmark, Lithuania, and Poland this week. Security is set to be a key theme.
We are also likely to hear about Europe’s competitiveness and its standing in a global race dominated by superpowers like China and the US, as well as the rise of nationalism and populism across the continent and beyond.
Expect updates on other major priorities, too: digital regulation (with a sharp focus on online safety), migration (following the Ceuta crisis in late July), and climate and energy in the wake of another record-breaking summer.
Plenty to cover. I will bring you all the key lines here.
It’s Wednesday, 16 September 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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