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Ursula von der Leyen’s latest State of the Union address was not exactly a feel-good speech. Her message was that Europe is living in a more dangerous, hotter and less predictable world, and it needs to prepare accordingly.
For people in Cyprus, much of it felt particularly close to home. Heat waves, water shortages, migration, conflict in the Middle East, defense and the safety of children online were all on the agenda.
...one of the biggest surprises was von der Leyen’s proposal to make Canada the EU’s first “associate member.”
According to Politico’s analysis of the speech, one of the biggest surprises was von der Leyen’s proposal to make Canada the EU’s first “associate member.”
No such membership model currently exists, but the idea is to build a much closer relationship covering defense, energy, technology, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and the Arctic. It was also difficult to miss the wider message: Europe is looking for dependable partners at a time when its relationship with the United States is less certain.
Von der Leyen also proposed a European Security Council involving the EU and like-minded countries, including Britain, Canada, Ukraine and Norway. The United States was notably absent from that list.
The council would be supported by an emergency protocol allowing European countries to respond collectively to serious threats that fall short of a direct military attack. For Cyprus, sitting in an increasingly unstable region, that conversation is anything but theoretical.
On climate, the emphasis shifted from simply cutting emissions to surviving the consequences of rising temperatures. Von der Leyen announced plans for a European Heatwave Plan, a European Water Initiative and a Climate Insurance Alliance.
That is particularly relevant to Cyprus, where extreme heat, drought, wildfires and pressure on water supplies are already part of daily life, not distant warnings about what may happen decades from now.
Artificial intelligence was another priority. Von der Leyen wants leading AI companies to come to Brussels to discuss how the technology can move forward without allowing its risks to run out of control. She mentioned cooperation with Britain and Canada but left out the two countries currently leading the AI race: the United States and China.
She also turned her attention to children and social media, proposing no social media use for those under 13 and no personal accounts for anyone under 15. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram would also be required to introduce safer designs for users under 18.
It is the kind of proposal likely to receive plenty of support from worried parents, and an equally large number of eye rolls from teenagers.
Migration also featured heavily. Following the recent crisis in Ceuta, von der Leyen proposed a European emergency framework that would temporarily give countries more flexibility when dealing with sudden migration pressure. Politico described the proposal as a way to speed up returns while loosening some standard procedures. She also called for a stronger Frontex, although she did not repeat earlier proposals to significantly increase its staff.
On Gaza, von der Leyen acknowledged the deep suffering of Palestinians and condemned uncontrolled settler violence in the West Bank. But she also admitted that divisions among EU governments had prevented the bloc from agreeing on sanctions against Israeli ministers and settlers.
Her message was blunt: when Europe cannot agree, it cannot shape events.
Von der Leyen also promised continued support for Ukraine, saying unused money from the EU’s €150 billion SAFE defense-loan program would be redirected toward joint projects with Ukrainian defense companies.
On the economy, she called on national governments to stop adding extra rules when applying EU legislation, a practice known as “gold-plating.” She also continued to push for new EU-wide taxes to help fund the bloc’s next seven-year budget, despite resistance from several capitals.
China received a warning as well. Von der Leyen said Europe’s trade deficit with Beijing had reached around €1 billion a day and described the EU’s dependence on Chinese critical raw materials as dangerous. However, she stopped short of announcing dramatic new trade action.
The common thread running through the speech was preparation. Europe can no longer assume that its old alliances will remain unchanged, that summers will remain manageable, that borders will stay calm or that powerful new technologies will regulate themselves.
But speeches are the easy part. Many of von der Leyen’s proposals will still require the support of EU governments, and, as the disagreement over Gaza has already shown, getting 27 countries to move in the same direction can be the biggest challenge of all.
*Source: Politico
