On 10 September, the President of the European Commission, Mrs Von der Leyen, delivered her annual State of the Union (SOTEU) 2025 speech to the European Parliament, setting her priorities for the Union for the year ahead. Every year, this is a key moment in EU’s democracy, an opportunity to reflect on the past year, outline the EU’s priorities and announce new initiatives. The address is followed by a debate with Members of the European Parliament, reinforcing accountability (the debate is still ongoing).
This year’s speech set out a comprehensive political agenda and situated Europe in a changing geopolitical landscape marked by war, economic pressure, and social challenges. The address combined foreign policy, defense, economic competitiveness, social issues, and institutional reform, presented as Europe’s “Independence Moment.” The core messages of SOTEU 2025 were the following:
- Europe is “in a fight”: a struggle to safeguard peace, democracy, independence, and the ability to determine its own destiny.
- Independence as the guiding principle: Europe must reduce external dependencies (defense, technology, energy, raw materials) and strengthen its capacity to act globally.
- Europe’s mission: defend Ukraine, safeguard democracy, secure energy, build industrial and technological sovereignty, complete the Single Market, and deliver social justice.
- Change of institutional rules: the EU must overcome unanimity blockages and strengthen the role of the Parliament to act more effectively.
In terms of policy context, measures were presented in the following sectors:
- Foreign and Security Policy / Ukraine
- Enlargement
- Middle East / Gaza
- Economy, Competitiveness, and Industry
- Green Deal and Energy
- Social and Employment
- External Trade
- Global Health and Science
- Democracy and Rule of Law
- Children and Social Media
- Migration
- Civil Protection and Climate Resilience
- Institutional Reform
The full report is available HERE
Of particular interest for our sector and activity, I would highlight these measures:
- Omnibus packages to reduce bureaucracy (EUR 8 billion savings annually). Those packages include hospitals.
- Proposal of a Quality Jobs Act (including healthcare workforce).
- Choose Europe package (EUR 500 million) to attract researchers.
- Launch of a Global Health Resilience Initiative.
