The State of the European Union debate is an annual event that kicks off the new political season after the summer break. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, will address Parliament to give an account of what the Commission has done in the past 12 months and also announce its plans for the coming year. The speech and the discussion with MEPs that follows provide an opportunity to reflect on the challenges facing Europe, including Brexit negotiations, security concerns and prospects for a closer economic union.
The debate in the plenary chamber in Strasbourg starts on Wednesday morning at 9.00 CET with a statement by Juncker followed by reactions from leaders of political groups and other MEPs.
Shaping Europe’s future
Since the last State of Union debate in September 2016, many important political developments have taken place: the UK has triggered the procedure for leaving the EU, while in Paris and Berlin, steps are being proposed to bring Europe closer together.
Already in February MEPs adopted three reports setting out how they believe the EU needs to be reformed in order to boost its capacity to act, restore people’s trust and make the economy more resilient.
Meanwhile the Commission published five reflection papers as a starting point for a debate on the future of European integration. Each paper was dedicated to a specific theme: Europe’s social dimension, globalisation, the economic and monetary union, defence and finances.
The papers contain ideas and scenarios for what Europe could be like in 2025, but no specific proposals. In his state of the union address, Juncker is expected on expand on these topics that have already been discussed by MEPs during plenary sessions.
Ref.: 20170904STO83009
