Students debate the State of the Union speech with Rector MOGHERINI

On Wednesday 16 September 2020 at 9:15, Mrs Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, gave her first ever State of the Union speech. The President set out how the Commission will address the most pressing challenges the European Union is facing and she shared her ideas for shaping the future of the EU.

Rector Federica MOGHERINI watched and debated the State of the Union speech with about 60 students of the Mário Soares Promotion, most of whom participated virtually in the debate via WebEx. 

Key points as public health, EU's foreign policy, human rights, migration, emissions reduction and the digital agenda were mentioned, but also the lacking focus on economics and trade, security and defence as well as some surprising subjects as the revision of all energy laws and the minimum wage. 

You can relive the speech delivered by the President of the European Commission via https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_20_1655.

The Bruges European Documentation Centre is happy to receive reactions on the first State of the Union of President Ursula von der LEYEN at edc.be [at] coleurope.eu.