The State of the Union 2020 [What Think Tanks are thinking]

Briefing 11-09-2020

In what has now become a tradition, every year in September, the President of the European Commission delivers a State of the Union address before the European Parliament, taking stock of achievements over the past year and presenting priorities for the year ahead. Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her first State of the Union address on 16 September 2020, followed by a debate in plenary. In essence, the Commission’s position is that the priorities that it set out at the beginning of its current mandate remain valid, but with both major challenges and opportunities arising from the coronavirus pandemic. After some initial criticism of ‘too little action, too late’, EU institutions are now working flat out to help to address various aspects of the crisis. Notably, the European Council has agreed on a major financial boost to fight the economic effects of the pandemic, including a measure of common debt. The Commission is also actively pursuing, in parallel, the European Green Deal, the digital agenda, making Europe stronger in the world, a new push for European democracy and efforts to make the economy work for people. This note offers links to recent commentaries and reports from international think tanks on the state of the union and related issues.