The first State of the Union address by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was held this morning.

Referring to the crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, the President emphasised the importance of the effective use of resources available through the Recovery Fund; in this regard, the Commission will publish a communication this coming Thursday containing guidelines to assist countries in drafting their national reform plans, which are necessary to benefit from these resources.

Regarding the European Green Deal, von der Leyen announced a proposal to increase the target for emissions reduction for 2030 from 40% to 55%, in order to accelerate the path towards Europe becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. By next summer, the Commission will review European legislation on climate and energy to this end. Furthermore, the President announced that 30% of the 750 billion euro budget for Next Generation EU will be raised through green bonds, and that 37% of the funds will be invested in Green Deal objectives.

On the subject of digitalisation, von der Leyen highlighted the importance of ensuring that Europe assumes a leadership role, calling for a common digital plan with clearly defined objectives to be achieved by 2030; at the same time, she announced that 20% of the Next Generation EU budget will be allocated to digital projects.

Significant remarks were also made regarding the minimum wage: the Commission will indeed put forward a proposal for legislation aimed at supporting Member States through the establishment of a legal framework on the matter.

The President also called for the construction of a stronger European Health Union and reiterated that, regarding Brexit, the European Union will not backtrack.

The full text of the speech can be downloaded at the bottom of this news item.

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