Thread by @euronews

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President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen sets out her priorities for next year.

#SOTEU

ICYMI: 🇪🇺 Here's our roundup of what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her annual #SOTU address:

🇺🇦 The EU has "risen to the occasion" on the Ukraine war, she said.

"Our response was united, determined and immediate and I think we can be proud of that."

🇷🇺 Russia's industry "is in tatters", VDL said.

She argued that since sanctions have been imposed, three-quarters of Russia's banking sectors were cut off from international markets, the production of cars fell by 75%.

🌍 "Summer 2022 will remain in people's memories," VDL said.

“The situation is much worse than what we can see,” she added, with Europe’s glaciers melting faster than expected and future droughts expected to be more serious.

💶 VDL said member states should have more flexibility on their debt reduction path but stressed that "there should be more accountability on the delivery of what we have agreed on."

Simpler fiscal rules, she also said, should open the door to more strategic investments.

🇬🇧 The president paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

She called her a legend and said that "she always reminded us that our future is built on new ideas and founded on our oldest values."

🇪🇺 The EU Commission chief said that the EU has now "seen that there is a need to reach out to the countries of Europe – beyond the accession process."

"This is why I support the call for a European Political Community – and we will set out our ideas to the European Council."

🇺🇦🇲🇩🇬🇪 “I want the people of the Western Balkans, of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to know: You are part of our family, your future is in our Union, and our Union is not complete without you,” von der Leyen said.

💶 "We will raise standards on offences such as illicit enrichment ... and abuse of power, beyond the more classic offences such as bribery. And we will also propose to include corruption in our human rights sanction regime, our new tool to protect our values abroad," she said.

👥 On refugees, VDL said solidarity with those fleeing Ukraine shouldn't be "an exception".

She called for a "fair and quick procedures, a system that is crisis-proof and quick to deploy, and a permanent and legally binding mechanism that ensures solidarity."

Read more here 👇
euronews.com/my-europe/2022…