EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her first landmark state of the union address on Wednesday.
The speech, delivered to MEPs, traditionally sets out the European Commission’s priorities for the coming year.
_Watch the address live in the video player above from 09.15 CEST. See below for live text updates. _
The challenges facing Europe and the European Union are enormous. The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to cause havoc across the continent, threatening a major health and economic crisis in the winter.
The fire in the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos last week left thousands of migrants without shelter. Yet an agreement on EU migration policy appears as far away as ever.
One of the new president’s flagship policies, the European Green Deal was announced with much pomp and fanfare and a further reduction in emissions could be announced.
Far and near, the EU is facing hostile actors and foreign policy challenges: from an emboldened China and Russia to crises in the East Mediterranean and Belarus.
And then there is Brexit, as the struggle to reach a deal with the UK on trade and future relations comes to a head, while major changes beckon from January after the transition period expires.
Hello, this is Alasdair Sandford and I’ll be bringing you live updates on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address.