Ursula von der Leyen used her State of the Union speech to unveil a raft of proposals aimed at making Europe better prepared for a world of threats — from sweltering summers to hybrid warfare, migrant crises and even TikTok. What the Commission president chose to talk about in Strasbourg — and, just as importantly, what she left unsaid — will help define the rest of her term and the political legacy she leaves behind. The biggest surprise came when von der Leyen said she wanted to open the door for Canada to become the EU’s first “associate member.” Speaking directly to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was sitting in the Parliament hemicycle, von der Leyen proposed an ambitious, far-reaching new alliance spanning tech, defense, energy, critical minerals, AI, the Arctic and more.
In a message that could have been addressed directly to U.S. President Donald Trump, von der Leyen said: “This is not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength.” While it remains to be seen whether EU member countries are on board with so-called associate membership — a model, it should be noted, that does not currently exist — the proposal is a striking signal of how badly Brussels wants to deepen ties with Ottawa. The idea of a European security executive body has been floated in various forms for years, but has taken on fresh urgency against the backdrop of Trump undermining the transatlantic security relationship and Russia’s war against Ukraine spilling over into the bloc.
Von der Leyen injected new life into the discussion by calling to create a European Security Council, saying it would bring together the EU and like-minded countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Ukraine and Norway (notably, there was no mention of the U.S.) to discuss and manage threats. It would go hand-in-hand with a new “Emergency Security Protocol,” which EU countries could trigger in response to threats short of an actual attack or invasion. The Commission president is inviting the major AI labs to Brussels to discuss efforts to “pace the frontier” of AI development.
There is now an answer to what happens to the money left over from the EU’s €150 billion SAFE defense-loan program. Von der Leyen said the remaining funds would be used for a new program involving joint projects with Ukrainian defense companies. The announcement potentially turns an administrative problem — member countries such as Italy not taking up all the cheap loans available to them — into a way to integrate Ukraine's battlefield expertise and defense industry with Europe's.
Von der Leyen's climate message was notably focused on preparing for the worst rather than new emissions-cutting measures. She defended the EU's existing climate targets but devoted much of her attention to dealing with the consequences of a hotter Europe, including a forthcoming European Heatwave Plan, a European Water Initiative and a Climate Insurance Alliance. She said there can be “no repeat of this summer,” which was Europe’s hottest ever, causing its forests to burn and its rivers to dry up.
The Commission president wants EU countries to agree on a new “pact against gold-plating” — the practice of adding national requirements when implementing EU legislation. But now I think it is time for the member states to step up,” she said. While von der Leyen called for the overhaul of the single market to be completed by the end of 2027, she otherwise glossed over simplification and competitiveness in her speech.
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