VON DER LEYEN: BETWEEN AMBITION AND FRAGILITY

In September 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual State of the European Union speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Opening with Charles Dickens’ line “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” she framed the European Union as stronger and more independent than ever—yet operating in an “openly hostile world” of geopolitical rivalry, climate extremes, technological disruption, and hybrid threats.