OMM Redaksiyası
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will present the main priorities for the next year for the European Union’s (EU) 27 member states during her annual address to the European Parliament.
She is expected to call on member states to act in solidarity, saying that challenges such as climate change, artificial intelligence (AI), competition with China and energy security cannot be addressed by any EU country alone.
According to officials, von der Leyen will stress the importance of maintaining Europe’s independence in energy, raw materials and clean technologies. The EU will need strong partners, in addition to its member states, to achieve this goal, they said.
Canada will be presented as one of the EU’s key partners in this regard. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will address the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Sept. 17.
Von der Leyen is expected to say that Canada cannot join the EU, but that Brussels wants to bring the country as close to the bloc as possible. Canada could help the EU reduce its dependence on China for raw materials and processing.
The European Commission president is also expected to support negotiations aimed at reducing the persistent trade deficit between China and the EU, which reaches 1 billion euros a day, while stressing that the talks must produce results in the short term. Otherwise, the EU may take further steps to protect its economy.
Adapting to climate change will also be a key topic of the address. Against the backdrop of unprecedented heatwaves and wildfires observed in Europe over the past three months, the EU is expected to continue its ambitious policy of mitigating the effects of climate change and strengthen adaptation measures.
Von der Leyen will also address public concerns about the risks artificial intelligence poses to jobs and cybersecurity. She will underline the importance of ensuring that the European economy benefits from the EU’s capabilities in this field.
Migration and border security will also be on the agenda. According to officials, the EU must learn from crises such as the incidents in Ceuta at the end of July, including by strengthening the bloc’s border agency and improving coordination among member states.
The annual address, commonly known as the State of the Union speech, is an important opportunity for the European Commission president to set out the bloc’s policy direction and legislative priorities before the European Parliament.
