State of the Union 2020
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her first State of the Union address today presenting her vision for the European Union and its pathway out of the COVID-19 crisis.
“Europe must now lead the way on digital – or it will have to follow the way of others” said President von der Leyen and called for a common plan for digital Europe with clearly defined goals for 2030, such as for connectivity, skills and digital public services.
President von der Leyen announced that the EU will invest 20% of Europe's budget on NextGenerationEU on digital EU. Part of this recovery plan will include the Digital Education Action Plan which will be an important part of supporting Member States, education and training institutions as well as citizens in their efforts to deal with the digital change.
Through the European Green Deal Europe aims to be carbon neural by 2050. The Green Deal is both a recovery plan and an investment plan touching on all areas of our lives for which the Next Generation EU recovery plan is a key component and 37% of its budget has been set aside for green deal objectives.
The European Union will drive a sustainable and transformational recovery giving it a global platform to lead economically, environmentally and geopolitically. The State of the Union address highlighted targetted support for the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership and African countries.
Read more about the State of the Union address and the main initiatives here in a factsheet prepared by the European Commission.
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