On 15 September, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament. The President von der Leyen outlined a number of initiatives which the Commission plans to undertake in the coming year.
In the field of environment and energy, she announced that the EU will double its external funding for biodiversity. President Von der Leyen has also pledged an additional four billion euros for climate finance until 2027.
Regarding the digital sphere, the Commission will introduce a new “European Chips Act” to ensure the security of supply for European tech. The Chip Act comes as a response to the global semiconductor shortage partially as a result of dependency on Asian and U.S suppliers. The Chips Act aims to jointly create a state-of-the-art European chip ecosystem, including production.
Finally, regarding security and defence, President von der Leyen has announced that a Summit on European defence will be held under the French Presidency and a new EU-NATO Joint Declaration will be presented before the end of the year. Moreover, the EU will place greater investments in common European platforms such fighter jets, drones, and cyber technology.
To access the State of the Union Address, please click here.