European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered the 2026 State of the Union address, setting out the Commission’s main priorities for the period ahead. Several of them are directly relevant to the maritime industry and to European shipbuilding.
Competitiveness and simplification. Strengthening the European economy remains the Commission’s “number one priority”, with a focus on completing the Single Market, speeding up permitting procedures and cutting administrative burdens. The 12 “Omnibus” proposals are expected to reduce administrative burdens by around EUR 17 billion per year.
Electrification and grids. The Commission aims to double the share of electricity in Europe by 2040, stressing the urgent need to reinforce power grids, speed up connections and expand storage capacity, while also addressing the high energy costs facing European industry.
A level playing field. With the EU–China trade deficit reaching roughly EUR 1 billion per day, the President stressed the need to rebalance the relationship and to use EU instruments to secure fairer competitive conditions.
Critical raw materials and international cooperation. Reducing strategic dependencies remains a priority, with a stronger focus on diversification, procurement and stockpiling of critical raw materials and rare earths. Von der Leyen proposed opening the possibility for Canada to become the EU’s first associated member, alongside a new “Alliance for the Future” covering smart manufacturing, industrial defence cooperation, energy, critical minerals, the Arctic region and economic security.
Defence and industrial capacity. The President called for greater European defence industrial capacity, larger joint orders and economies of scale, and announced a new European Instrument for Strategic Enablers.
On financing, von der Leyen stressed that the EU budget is about Europe’s future and that any modern budget requires new own resources. The address also covered the use of artificial intelligence in industry, skills and quality jobs, and the diversification of international supply chains.
Source: European Commission — 2026 State of the Union address. Photo: European Commission headquarters, the Berlaymont building, Brussels – Ank Kumar, Infosys Limited, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.