Von der Leyen’s 2025 State of the Union speech – Europe’s autumn of truth?

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is delivering her annual State of the Union speech today.

In a new article for the LSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blog, our Visiting Fellow Dr Vera Spyrakou argues that the speech underlines that the EU can no longer defer difficult choices about its economic resilience, geopolitical relevance and management of migration.

Across all these speeches, there are three recurring themes: resilience(economic and institutional), geopolitical maturity (security and foreign policy), and cohesion(migration, enlargement, solidarity). What has changed is the intensity of emphasis. If 2020 foregrounded economic recovery and transformation, and 2022 underscored security and sovereignty, the 2025 address is expected to synthesise these into a sharper narrative: how to preserve Europe’s strength in a world increasingly defined by competition and uncertainty.