Special episode: State of the EU 2026 — promises vs. reality

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered the State of the European Union speech in Strasbourg, with Politico's Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart offering their first take on the address. The podcast episode examines the push for a more independent Europe across competitiveness, AI, climate, defense and Ukraine, along with proposals including a European Security Council and a deeper partnership with Canada.

Listen on In this special episode from Strasbourg, Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart give their first take on the State of the European Union speech delivered by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. They look at the push for a more independent Europe — from competitiveness to AI, climate, defense and Ukraine — as well as the ideas that could shape what comes next, including a European Security Council and a deeper partnership with Canada. Our audience survey https://politico.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV 38kLwuTrfsvRrtI?Invite%20Source=Pod is still live — we’d love to hear what you think about the pod. Questions? Comments? Let us know on our WhatsApp here https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=32491050629&text=Hey+Zoya+and+crew%21+&type=phone number&app absent=0 or at +32 491 05 06 29.