Brussels, 17 September 2026

European Family Businesses listened closely to the messages delivered by Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen during yesterday’s State of the Union (SOTEU) speech.

President von der Leyen highlighted the need to build a more independent Europe, making several references to Europe’s strategic autonomy across a wide range of areas. These included Europe’s prosperity, energy, food and water security, democracy, artificial intelligence, and trade partnerships.

Of the several key initiatives proposed, the Pact Against Gold-Plating stood out to us as an opportunity for Member States and the EU institutions to meet halfway and address the growing administrative burden across the EU. Administrative burden and regulatory complexity have a direct impact on businesses and their competitiveness. The Pact Against Gold-Plating could therefore play an important role not only in how EU legislation is implemented at national level, but also in strengthening the competitiveness of EU businesses. We support an approach whereby simplification efforts are pursued by both the EU institutions and Member States.

We fully support the need to diversify Europe’s sources of critical raw materials. The proposal for a new European Corporation on Critical Raw Materials will, however, require further analysis once a concrete proposal is put forward.

We also strongly support the completion of the Savings and Investments Union, which is essential to ensuring that companies can access the capital they need to grow and invest within the EU. Completing the Capital Markets Union remains an important part of this effort.

On the Quality Jobs Act, we look forward to its presentation before the end of the year. We hope that, together with the recently announced Fair Labour Mobility Package, the Quality Jobs Act will contribute to creating and securing more quality employment across the EU.

Notably, the word “competitiveness” was absent from the speech, although the broader issue of global competition was addressed. For businesses across Europe, competitiveness remains a central concern and will require continued attention in the implementation of the Commission’s agenda. Completing the provisions set out in the One Europe, One Market Roadmap by the end of 2027 will not be an easy task. Ultimately, effective implementation will be one of the most important factors in determining the success of these initiatives in the years ahead.

On trade, the Commission President highlighted that, over the past year, agreements have been signed with India, Mercosur, Mexico, Australia, and Indonesia. These developments could contribute to further diversification of Europe’s trade relationships. Moreover, the proposal to make Canada the first associate member of the EU was well received, and we look forward to seeing how this proposal takes shape.

Overall, we will continue to emphasise that the success of the initiatives announced will ultimately depend on effective, practical, business friendly implementation.