{"id":52089,"date":"2025-09-04T17:21:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T14:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/?p=52089"},"modified":"2026-03-05T17:09:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:09:55","slug":"state-of-the-union-poia-minymata-anamenoume-gia-tin-poreia-tis-evropis-oi-analytes-tou-eliamep-apantoun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/state-of-the-union-anticipating-key-messages-on-europes-future-eliameps-experts-share-their-views\/","title":{"rendered":"State of the European Union: Anticipating Key Messages on Europe\u2019s Future – ELIAMEP experts’ views"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spyros Blavoukos,\u00a0<\/strong>Head, EU Institutions & Policies Programme, ELIAMEP; Professor, Athens University of Economics & Business<\/em><\/p>\n

&\u00a0Panos Politis Lamprou,<\/strong>\u00a0Junior Research Fellow, ELIAMEP<\/em><\/p>\n

The content of the Commission President’s speech is inevitably connected to the current year’s action programme, but it must also respond to international developments.<\/p>\n

This year, the Commission is focusing on two main pillars: the competitiveness of the European economy, and the strengthening of European security and defence. With regard to the first, the EU is aiming to speed up the simplification of procedures, and the development of strategies, aimed at improving European competitiveness. Preparing the productive base for the challenges (and opportunities) presented by globalization, digitization and the green transition was a key point of last year\u2019s State of the Union address, in which the President presented her vision for her second term of office to the plenary of the European Parliament. In relation to the second pillar, the White Paper on the future of European defence and the plan to rearm Europe, of which the SAFE Regulation is an integral part, have dominated the effort to consolidate European security. The main priority and common denominator remains the creation of a coherent framework for the development of European defence capabilities that will help the bloc achieve the strategic autonomy it seeks.<\/p>\n

International developments\u2014with the return of President Trump and the (neo)-protectionism he advocates, the continuing need to support Ukrainian resistance, but also the volatility of the global geo-economic and geopolitical environment\u2014require similar objectives for the EU and the Commission. The two aforementioned pillars are thus expected to dominate von der Leyen’s speech this year. However, security is not limited to its military dimension. It is also linked to European society\u2019s preparedness in the face of various forms of crises, the diversification of supply chains, energy autonomy, economic growth, and the resilience of democratic institutions and values\u2014all of which are expected to emerge as priorities for the next programming period. The Union\u2019s new (existential?) narrative is therefore taking shape around a “comprehensive defence\u201d in which security and defence cut across every aspect of its internal policies, from energy to social cohesion, and the implementation of the proposals in the Letta and Draghi reports is a key priority to prevent the EU becoming the “grass that\u2019s trampled when elephants fight”.<\/p>\n

Alekos Kritikos,\u00a0<\/strong>Senior Policy Advisor, ELIAMEP; Former senior official, European Commission; former Secretary General, Ministry of the Interior<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This year’s State of the Union address by the Commission President will be delivered at a juncture when Europe is seemingly being reduced ever more to the role of an observer of global developments rather than a protagonist in them. The Trump system\u2019s dismissive treatment of the EU and the Shanghai summit are just two examples that point to this being the case.<\/p>\n

The EU’s room for manoeuvre has narrowed dishearteningly\u2014if it has not already been eradicated entirely\u2014and it is of existential importance that the Union take immediate and comprehensive action. Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech should respond to this need by adopting the proposals made in the Letta and Draghi reports, and summarized afresh in Mario Draghi’s recent speech at the Rimini meeting, without further delay, hesitation or pettiness.<\/p>\n

The completion of the internal market, the boosting of EU competitiveness, the development of a wide-ranging industrial policy, the unification of Europe’s capital markets, the pursuit of strategic and defence autonomy, the coordinated Research and Technology development, and the ongoing promotion of economic and social cohesion are the most fundamental, and there are certainly others of crucial importance. The implementation of these proposals will need to be accompanied by the defence of democratic values and the European social model, and by an immigration policy which, while respecting European values, preserves social cohesion while also helping the EU secure the human resources it needs for its economic and demographic growth. All of this will be very hard to achieve, however, unless it is accompanied by a bold political and institutional reorganization of the EU, leading to new forms of European integration.<\/p>\n

On 10 September, we will know whether the European Commission has got the message.<\/p>\n

Stella Ladi<\/strong>,\u00a0Panteion University and Queen Mary University of London; Research Fellow, ELIAMEP<\/em><\/p>\n

In the annual State of the Union address by the Commission President, we should focus not only on what is said, but also on what is left unsaid. The tense international situation, with its multiple conflicts but especially those in Gaza and Ukraine, and the new transatlantic (im)balance make it near certain that the common defence and security of Europe will be the main theme. And we would expect our partnerships and trade relations to figure centrally\u2014those with Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, for instance, now that it is clear the EU needs to diversify and expand its trading networks. However, the most interesting question will be how much emphasis is placed on the two former flagships of European policy: the green economy and the regulation of new technologies and artificial intelligence. Because this year more than any other, the audience will not only be European citizens; it will also be the President of the United States, who would like to see backpeddling on both. It is critical for Europe’s dignity and global credibility that these priorities remain centre-stage, even if only at the symbolic level of this annual address.<\/p>\n

Elena Lazarou<\/strong>,\u00a0Director General, ELIAMEP<\/em><\/p>\n

2025 finds the European Union facing external challenges and the threat of internal rifts. The annual State of the Union address by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is an opportunity to chart a strategic course, but also to reinforce the conviction that the Union can respond to the political, economic, social and geopolitical challenges of our times.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the speech is the long-term budget (2028-2034), which is causing political tensions between member states, agricultural and industrial interests, and political groups. Von der Leyen will be seeking to balance liberal and green priorities and issues such as re-industrialisation, social cohesion and immigration, and will also voice support for the proposed (enhanced) budget, with its added flexibility.<\/p>\n

The key points of the speech, however, will relate to foreign policy: support for Ukraine and the need to strengthen European defence. Presenting a targeted plan for transatlantic relations will pose a major challenge to the Commission President, as the recent EU-US trade agreement has already come in for harsh criticism from many parts of the EU.<\/p>\n

The President will reaffirm the importance of democracy and the international legal order, as well as the need for the EU to support both in an era in which anti-democratic forces are on the rise and international and humanitarian law is breaking down.<\/p>\n

The European Union is presented with a choice: advance towards strategic autonomy and unity, or be immobilized by internal contradictions and external coercion.<\/p>\n

Manos Matsaganis,\u00a0<\/strong>Professor, Polytechnic University of Milan; Head of ELIAMEP’s Greek and European Economy Programme<\/em><\/p>\n

The threats Europe is currently facing have no precedent in its 80-year history.<\/p>\n

Some may have arrived suddenly, but their roots run deep: Russian aggression, American antipathy, Chinese expansionism, conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Others are the product of internal weaknesses that were not addressed in time, and have now festered: economic sluggishness, an innovation deficit, ageing populations, institutional inertia, political fragmentation.<\/p>\n

Their combined impact means that our children and our children\u2019s children are at risk of growing up in a continent that is vulnerable and insecure, unable to defend itself, with an obsolete economy, stagnant living standards, and angry societies.<\/p>\n

The train of events that would make this a grim reality can be easily described. A Le Pen (or Bardella) victory in the 2027 presidential elections puts France on a collision course with the EU, while simultaneously paralyzing any attempt at a coherent European response. In the confusion that follows, each country tries to salvage what it can. I leave it to the reader\u2019s imagination to work out what this might mean for Estonia, or for Denmark (and \u2014 why not? \u2014 for Cyprus or Greece).<\/p>\n

The alternative scenario begins with the acknowledgement that no country can go it alone. This implies the need for close cooperation in defence, the economy, and immigration. It isn\u2019t the likeliest scenario. It will be politically demanding. But it is the only thing that can save us from worse trouble ahead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spyros Blavoukos,\u00a0Head, EU Institutions & Policies Programme, ELIAMEP; Professor, Athens University of Economics & Business &\u00a0Panos Politis Lamprou,\u00a0Junior Research Fellow, ELIAMEP The content of the Commission President’s speech is inevitably connected to the current year’s action programme, but it must also respond to international developments. This year, the Commission is focusing on two main pillars: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":52102,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[492],"tags":[],"program":[17],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52089"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52089"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55150,"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52089\/revisions\/55150"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52089"},{"taxonomy":"program","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eliamep.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program?post=52089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}