In diretta. Ursula von der Leyen pronuncia il discorso sullo stato dell'Unione

Europe needs to move faster and cut red tapes with a simplification package the European Commission is undertaking.

"In today's economy, speed is of the essence. A permit or a form, a grid connection or financing decision. All of this can determine where an investment is made. Where jobs are created. We need to move much faster," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during the State of the Union speech on Wednesday.

"You know that our 12 omnibus proposals are reducing administrative burden by around €17 billion a year," von der Leyen added, referring to the European Commission simplification agenda.

The Commission President announced a new European Water initiative — an initiative that could prove to be one of Europe's most consequential adaptation challenges.

"Crops need water to grow; livestock need it to survive. Entire harvests depend on it. This is why we will make proposals to improve risk management and address the insurance gap," von der Leyen said.

The European Commission will present a "European Heatwave Plan" after record heat, wildfires and increasingly intense weather exposed the vulnerabilities of the bloc, with scientists saying Europe is the fastest-warming continent.

"There can be no repeat of this summer. This is why we will also soon present a European Heatwave Plan. We need better early warning systems and better health preparedness. We need urban adaptation and cooling. And we need to support the most vulnerable," von der Leyen said.

Von der Leyen recognises that climate adaptation is becoming an immediate economic and public-policy challenge rather than a long-term environmental issue.

After a dramatic summer with intense heatwaves, thousands of hectares lost to wildfires and nuclear power plants closing in Hungary and Romania due to lower water levels in the Danube, von der Leyen touted a new Climate Insurance Alliance.

"Today, only around 25% of catastrophe losses in Europe are covered by private insurance. This means that, far too often, national budgets become the insurer of last resort.

We need to take action to close this gap," the Commission chief told MEPs in Strasbourg.

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"We will present a new framework for climate resilience next month. We will identify 100 of the most vulnerable territories in Europe. And we will assess the risks — and at which level they should be managed," the Commission chief recalled as 660,000 hectares were burnt to the ground and roughly 12 million tonnes of crops were lost.

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“People want us to stand up for a Europe of values,” the European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in her introductory remarks before the State of the Union Speech.

In her view, Europe should be a place where “you can afford to pay your bills, scale your start-up, live in freedom, love who you wish to love, and be who you wish to be”.

Metsola also underlined the importance of press freedom, justice and the rule of law as “the hallmarks of our way.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on China to speed up the ongoing discussions to rebalance the trade relationship between Brussels and Beijing.

"Let me be clear: we will use all tools at our disposal to rebalance our relationship. Words are good. But deeds are better," von der Leyen said.

She recalled that the trade deficit with China is now €1 billion a day. “It has reached a tipping point,” she added.

“Some say the second China shock is looming. But it's already here. It shows in our communities and factories across our Union. It leads to de-industrialisation in the industrial heartlands of Europe. This is unsustainable.”

The President has threatened several times in the past to adopt unilateral trade defence measures if dialogue with China did not reach concrete results.

The Europeans have set themselves an October deadline to make progress in the talks.

Ursula von der Leyen has urged Europeans to "fight back" against the forces that seek to "weaponise" everyday concerns, such as wars, global competition and disruptive technology, to "drive a wedge between us".

"A battle of narratives is seeking to weaken confidence in Europe, to paralyse our democracies," she says. "We see this in the rise of the extreme, the decline of nuance, even in the way that we relate to each other."

"So our choice is clear," she tells MEPs. "Do we want a strong and independent Europe that stands up for its values in this world? Or do we want to rally around our European idea that together we can decide our own destiny? Or do we let our democracies be undermined by the proxies and puppets of authoritarians?"

Von der Leyen name-checks ultra-nationalists, anti-Europeans, Russian interference and disinformation as those seeking to divide the bloc.

"The names may be different, but their goal is the same. They despise our values, and they want to shatter our European unity. So let's not only fight back against that, but let's fight together for our European idea."

Her speech comes after the far-right AfD party swept the election in Saxony-Anhalt, in her native Germany.

Von der Leyen reiterated previous pledges to double the electrification target to 46% by 2040 as one of the ways to cut its fossil-fuel import bill by €260 billion a year. But to reach that goal, the bloc needs to massively invest in grids and energy storage.

"We need to double down on our affordable and homegrown clean energy. Be it renewables and nuclear. Or biomethane and others. Technologically neutral. But they must give us independence," von der Leyen said.

The Commission chief can point to diversification, renewables and reduced dependence on Russian fossil fuels. But for consumers and energy-intensive companies, the more immediate question is whether Europe's new energy system will actually be cheaper.

With the EU single market and "world-class industry and services," the bloc has the foundations to compete and scale alongside major global powers such as China and the United States.

But the EU is still too fragmented, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during her speech at the European Parliament on Wednesday.

"This is why when we took office, we put in place a bold plan. To build an economy where innovation and energy flows across borders. Where companies compete and grow across Europe, and savings finance our future. This is the logic of the Draghi and Letta reports. And together we are delivering," the president said, referring to the former Italian Prime Ministers Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, respectively on the single market and competitiveness.

"We now have the political agreement on the One Europe, One Market Roadmap. And together, by the end of next year, we can and must complete this historic overhaul of the Single Market," the president added.

Europe needs to be ready to make 'clear fiscal choices' for its citizens, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during her State of the Union speech on Wednesday.

"Our economy has withstood the impact of the Middle East wars better than expected. And unemployment is at near-record lows. But the pressures from higher energy prices and borrowing costs are biting for people and for business," the president said.

"Clear fiscal choices will have to be made to ensure fiscal sustainability, while protecting investment. So, kickstarting Europe's economy is our number one priority," von der Leyen added.

Von der Leyen just trumpeted the fact that in the face of an increasingly hostile security situation, Europe is stepping up to the plate, and has increased its defence spending by 80% over half a decade.

"This is a Europe that stands up for each other," she said, adding that Ukraine is also supported in this fight.

"Or when when we stood up for Greenland when threatened," she said.

"Or when drones, hybrid attacks or disinformation target our democracies."

Ursula von der Leyen begins her speech with the iconic opening line of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

"It is also a fair description of the world we live in today. The speed of change is incredible. The challenges exceptional," she said. "So if I look at Europe today, my take is this. The state of our Union is the strongest it has ever been. The state of our Union can also feel as precarious as it has ever been."

"These two statements may seem incompatible," she goes on. "But they are both true. And they reflect these exceptional times. This complex age of great possibilities and great perils, which all countries are seeking to navigate."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has received a standing ovation inside the European Parliament after being introduced by Roberta Metsola as the guest of honour.

"They haven't even heard your speech yet," Metsola jokes.

Carney will address the Parliament tomorrow morning.

Ursula von der Leyen, Roberta Metsola and Mark Carney, the guest of honour, have entered the plenary chamber together.

They are received with applause.

The EU does not have other options but using the upcoming EU budget to finance its priorities, member of the European Parliament Sergey Lagodinsky from the Greens told Euronews at its flagship program Europe Today on Wednesday.

"I think we will not have any other option but looking at a new MFF," the MEP said referring to the Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2028-2034.

The European Union is negotiating its budget and is expected to find a deal by the end of the year. Net payers countries are pushing for substantial cuts and prioritisation of security and defence.

We can see MEPs slowly making their way into the plenary chamber in Strasbourg.

The session will begin with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

Former European Council President Charles Michel has told Euronews that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen followed the United States blindly, describing her approach as naive.

Donald Trump had earlier threatened the European Union with additional tariffs, before the two sides struck a trade deal. Michel, who served as President of the European Council from 2019 to 2024, spoke to Euronews in Brussels ahead of von der Leyen's address.

"She started her mandate by blindly following the United States, with a lot of consequences. There was a kind of naivety," Michel said, adding that many leaders had called for greater sovereignty at the time.

"A lot of time was lost," he said.

German MEP Bernd Lange has told Euronews that the European Commission should use its "weapons" if a trade agreement with Beijing is not reached by the October deadline.

The German social democrat, who leads trade negotiations on behalf of the European Parliament, told Euronews' morning show Europe Today that he remains hopeful of a deal.

"My estimate is 51% in favour of getting a result. But it's not a given — let's see. So we have to be clear: if there is no agreement, then we use our weapons," Lange said.

Roberta Metsola, the European Parliament president, briefly spoke to the press before the start of the State of the Union speech, which she called a "big day" for the European Union.

Lawmakers will "ask questions and demand answers" from von der Leyen, she said, with a focus on four priorities: competitiveness, security, climate action and social protection. There are still "too many gaps" between member states and between urban and rural areas, she noted.

Metsola said she was "especially proud" to welcome Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to the Parliament. "From this house, we're projecting Europe as a geopolitical actor," she said. "We want to embed and deepen our relations with friends across the world."

Austrian MEP Lukas Mandl has called for deregulation and increased investment ahead of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union address.

Speaking to Euronews' Maria Tadeo on Europe Today, the centre-right politician, a member of the European People's Party, said that simplifying rules to encourage investment was not sufficient.

"Simplification is not enough, gratification is not enough. The economy needs deregulation," Mandl said, adding that von der Leyen must address issues such as the economy, demographic change and integration.

On von der Leyen's leadership, Mandl said: "We have her in these troubled times, and in troubled times it's extremely important to rally around the leader, and also to support the leader."

Before the speech begins, let's take a moment to review the promises von der Leyen made last year and the results she delivered (or not).

Our team put her work to the test.

State of the Union: Did von der Leyen make good on her promises?

Did Ursula von der Leyen deliver on all the promises she made in last year's State of the Union speech? Euronews puts her work to the test. #EuropeNews

Good morning and welcome to the Euronews live blog!

Here's a rundown of what to expect:

• Shortly after 9 am, Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her State of the Union speech in Strasbourg.
• Following her speech, the leaders of each political group will take the floor in order of representation.
• After that, von der Leyen will reply to the group leaders.
• Thomas Byrne, Ireland's minister for European affairs, will take the floor on behalf of the EU Council's rotating presidency.
• Then, other lawmakers from different parties will intervene.
• Von der Leyen will deliver a final reply.
• Group leaders will reply in reverse order of representation.

The session is expected to finish at around 12.30 pm.