Ursula von der Leyen will propose the establishment of a European Security Council, a new format in which EU leaders and leaders of partner countries will coordinate the response to the increasing threats facing the continent.
This body would include leaders of EU member states, along with those of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Norway, Canada, and other partner countries.
The proposal will be presented on Wednesday in the annual State of the European Union address delivered by the head of the European Commission in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The information is included in a draft of the speech consulted by Euractiv.
"This is even more urgent now, given the nature and scale of the risks. Therefore, we will present our ideas to turn the European Security Council into a reality," the document states.
Von der Leyen will also propose a new "Security Protocol", inspired by Article 4 of the NATO Treaty. This could be activated by a member state that considers itself threatened to quickly convene the other countries of the Union for consultations.
Article 4 of the NATO Treaty allows member states to request consultations when they believe their territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened. "We are strengthening our collaboration with NATO. However, our doctrine, our institutions, and our decision-making process have not kept pace with the new reality," the head of the Commission will state, according to the draft.
The idea of a European Security Council has been supported by France and Germany and has resurfaced for discussion after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. European Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius, has repeatedly called for the creation of such a body.
It is not clear how the NATO project and the American administration will receive the proposal. The new format could be perceived as a parallel structure to the Alliance, notes Euractiv.
Von der Leyen will also speak about the closer ties with Canada, whose Prime Minister, Mark Carney, will attend the speech. The Commission President will propose an "Alliance for the future", aimed at strengthening the links between the EU and Canada in areas such as security and artificial intelligence.
The seven main themes of the speech
The speech begins at 10:00, Romanian time, and may be modified until the last moment. Based on discussions with over a dozen European officials, Politico has identified the seven important themes that Ursula von der Leyen is expected to address:
- Artificial Intelligence – the effects of AI expansion on jobs, industry opportunities, and narrowing the gap with the US and China.
- Competitiveness – streamlining bureaucracy and a "general cleanup" in European regulations, two years after the report presented by Mario Draghi.
- Climate – Europe's adaptation to heatwaves, droughts, and fires, protecting water resources, and preparing infrastructure for extreme weather conditions.
- Trade – reducing economic dependencies and diversifying partners and supply chains, without von der Leyen announcing a new investigation against China.
- Migration – strengthening Frontex, increasing the number of border police officers, and the possibility of temporarily suspending procedures in the case of massive arrivals, "orchestrated and used as a weapon."
- Defense – developing the European defense industry, the future EU Security Strategy, and a possible joint initiative with Canada for Arctic security.
- Social Networks – restricting children's access to online platforms. The Commission is set to present the "EU Kids Act" on Thursday, which would introduce a supervised access system by parents before the age of 15. Restrictions could also target gaming platforms or AI-based chatbots.
The State of the Union speech is the most important annual moment when the President of the European Commission presents the institution's priorities and initiatives prepared for the upcoming period.