audiovisual.ec.europa.eu
Audiovisual Service - State of the European Union 2026 (SOTEU)
On 16 September 2026, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered the annual State of the European Union (SOTEU) address. SOTEU is a yearly speech delivered by the President of the European Commission to the European Parliament, outlining the priorities for the Union for the year ahead. Concerning the transmission, read further updates for broadcasters in this Infosheet (SOTEU). In this year's speech, President von der Leyen highlighted the need for a stronger, more competitive and more sovereign Europe in response to geopolitical, economic and climate-related pressures. She placed major emphasis on industrial policy and competitiveness, including support for clean technologies, innovation, investment and reducing dependencies in critical sectors. A second key area is the green transition, with continued focus on climate neutrality, affordable clean energy and scaling up Europe’s net-zero industry while keeping the transition fair for citizens and businesses. She also underlined security and defence, arguing for greater European resilience, stronger support for Ukraine and deeper cooperation on defence capabilities and strategic interests. Finally, her speech stressed social cohesion and democracy, linking Europe’s economic transformation to skills, quality jobs, fairness and the protection of democratic values.
