This Wednesday, the European Parliament in Strasbourg hosts the State of the Union address (SOTEU), a key event for community policy in which the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyenwill take stock of the political course and outline the priorities of his executive for the coming years.
An annual intervention in which MEPs have the opportunity to confront veteran German politics, and which this year will once again be marked by the complex geopolitical context and defense, although it is expected that other issues such as the rise of the far right or the approval of the next community budget will become relevant in the face of the imminent electoral cycle. In the previous days, Member States such as Poland, Lithuania and Denmark reported accidents linked to the Russian hybrid war.
In parallel, community sources have confirmed that they plan to bring the massive entry of migrants to Ceuta and the defense of borders to debate in the European chamber. An issue that in recent weeks has caused numerous confrontations between member countries, with Italy choosing to introduce controls on Spain that are still in force.
For her part, Von der Leyen took to her social networks to confirm that she plans to present the details of a proposal to limit minors’ access to social networks. Under the premise “Europe has the power to act”the president of the Commission defended that “we do not have to accept childhoods shaped by algorithms. We do not have to accept a system that disappoints our children”, although she has avoided revealing whether she will go as far as Spain and France claim when it comes to setting a minimum age for the entire Union.
The State of the Union Debate is also expected to have the presence of the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, who will speak before the European Parliament next Thursday at the invitation of President Roberta Metsola.