On 16 September 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered this year’s State of the Union address which mentioned a number of topics, from the overhaul of the Single Market by next year, to energy goals for 2040 and climate resilience, social and inclusion goals, AI empowering partnerships, democratic resilience, and a new act limiting children’s social media usage. In a speech framed by how Europe is navigating geopolitical tensions, including increased defence spending, the war in Ukraine, and challenges to democracy, President von der Leyen reiterated Europe’s strength and independence. 

The SOTEU also highlighted a desire to step up cooperation with like-minded international partners, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, in order to push AI developments and align on related guardrails. In addition, the President signalled the possibility of Canada becoming an associate member of the European Union, based on shared values, a history of prosperous trade between the regions, and a number of joint initiatives, although such a status does not yet formally exist under the EU treaties. 

The European Commission President also called attention to changing global partnerships in relation to boosting Europe’s economy. The President commented on the EU’s reliance on China for raw materials and the value of the EU’s recent investments towards deep-tech start-ups. Within the latter, she also highlighted a “European success story” of the tech company ICEYE, which was founded by two Erasmus+ alumni who developed their idea on satellite imagery and received Horizon funding. The example spotlights the value of investing in Erasmus+ mobility opportunities and in the research programme as a driver of innovation and the economy, in addition to knowledge, skills, and culture.  

Despite higher education not appearing explicitly as a priority in the State of the Union speech, nor on the related page of main initiatives, there is a reference to the European Universities initiative in the State of the Union Letter of Intent, published on 16 September. European University Alliances 2.0 appears in the letter as a priority under the Social and Inclusion heading, despite the initiative having been discussed extensively in recent months with stakeholders in relation to the Competitiveness objective at EU level, and without further details. The reference does however send a positive signal to the EU’s higher education community that the current flagship initiative will likely remain a priority in the 2028 – 2034 Erasmus+ programme.