European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual State of the Union speech at the European Parliament today.
“Europe will do whatever it takes to keep its competitive edge,” she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, saying she would defend European business against any unfair competition. In her last State of the Union speech before European Parliament elections next June, von der Leyen said the Commission was proposing to extend special protections granted to Ukrainian citizens who fled to the EU to escape Russia’s war.
Members of the European Parliament applauded as Hector Abad Faciolince, a Colombian writer who was wounded in the same attack, showed a photograph of Amelina to the chamber.Von der Leyen announced a series of measures, including a package to support Europe’s wind industry to boost renewable energy amid steep inflation.