Von der Leyen pitches Canada ties and Ukraine backing in EU agenda

Ursula von der Leyen used her State of the European Union address to outline priorities from Canada ties to backing Ukraine. The speech underscored Europe's push for strategic autonomy as trade, security and technology tensions deepen.

In Short

• Mark Carney attended the Strasbourg speech as special guest before lawmakers
• Von der Leyen said Europe must assert independence amid continued US tariffs
• Trump officials have criticised EU migration policy and tech regulation actions

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday set out her priorities for the European Union for the coming year, with a focus on closer ties with Canada, protecting children online, tackling climate change and supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia. Her State of the European Union address also referred to artificial intelligence, drone incidents on EU territory, conflict in the Middle East and trade tensions.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was the special guest as von der Leyen spoke for well over an hour before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. In her address, she said Europe must assert its independence at a time when the United States has continued to impose tariffs and the Trump administration has criticised the bloc's migration policies, warning of "civilizational erasure". "Europe is in a fight," von der Leyen said. "A fight for our values and our democracies."

The annual event is modelled on the State of the Union addresses delivered by US presidents to Congress, but it is not widely broadcast and few among the European Union's 450 million citizens across 27 member countries were expected to watch it. The speech is seen as a carefully planned communications exercise before lawmakers, who often applaud, and is followed most closely by EU insiders. Von der Leyen ended her speech with her familiar line: "Long Live Europe."

The themes of the address are usually aspirational, setting out von der Leyen's plans and hopes for the European Commission over the next year, but they often lack detail, as critics pointed out again on Wednesday. Critics have also said the commission's work is opaque. Ahead of the speech, Eric Maurice of the European Policy Centre think tank warned against using it "to placate political groups" or "to raise the Commission President's profile and extend the Commission's political and institutional domain." He said, "The EU is facing the crumbling of all the premises on which it was built. The rules-based order with benevolent free-trade and US friendship and support is disappearing."

The European Commission proposes laws that apply across the bloc's 27 countries and monitors whether existing rules are being followed. It also negotiates trade deals for all member states and acts as Europe's top antitrust investigator. At its head is von der Leyen, the 67-year-old former German defence minister, who has become a prominent figure at global summits despite being a political appointee who was not elected directly to the EU's top office.

Over seven years in office, von der Leyen has built influence by securing vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, handling the energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and gathering support for Kyiv during the war. She also appears to have the reluctant respect of US President Donald Trump, as she, her chief of cabinet and her trade commissioners have worked to reduce the impact of his tariff war on the European economy. At the same time, the Trump administration has objected to the commission's action against major technology companies, many of them based in the United States, over what Europe sees as violations of its data rules. Overall, von der Leyen's speech presented the EU's broad priorities for the year ahead while underlining the political and institutional weight the commission now carries.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends