The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday, during the speech on the state of the EU, that in these difficult moments when we have a war nearby, European countries must be with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in their European journey. Ursula von der Leyen also stated that the three countries, which tend to be part of the European family, are the future of the union.
“The nations of the world have built together an international system that promotes peace, security, justice, economic progress. Today this is the objective, the target of the Russian missiles. This crucial moment calls for rethinking the foreign policy agenda. Now is the time to invest in the strength of our democracies.[…] The most immediate way to do this is to deepen our ties, to strengthen the democracies on our continent. And that begins with those who are already on the path to our union. We must be with them every step of the way, every day. Because this path to a strong democracy and the path to the EU are one and the same path,” pointed out Ursula von der Leyen.
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The president of the European Commission also came with a message for the three countries.
“I want to say to those from the Western Balkans – Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and I think I speak on behalf of these noble assemblies: you are part of our family. You are the future of our union and our union is not complete without all of you. This must be our message”, said the president of the European Commission.
In the same speech, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the establishment of a European Hydrogen Bank that will represent “a leap into the future” and will contribute to the “paradigm change”.
Ursula von der Leyen today presented the impact of the Commission’s work over the past year and her future plans, in particular regarding EU solidarity with Ukraine, sanctions against Russia, measures to secure the EU’s energy supply and reduce its dependence on fuels Russian fossils as well as the current increases in energy prices.
The traditional State of the Union address also covered topics such as the European Green Deal and Green Transition, digitalisation, the EU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and preparations for future pandemics, as well as the NextGenerationEU recovery plan.
Every year, in September, the President of the European Commission delivers a State of the Union speech to the European Parliament, in which he takes stock of the achievements of the past year and presents the priorities for the coming year.