Von der Leyen proposes European Article 4 and associate EU membership for Canada in annual address
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented proposals for hybrid security response, an energy grid package, and associate membership for Canada during her annual address in Strasbourg.
Security doctrine and hybrid defense
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented proposals to revise the European Union's security doctrine during her State of the European Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Pointing to incidents including cyberattacks, sabotage, fires, and drone incursions, she argued that the European Union's decision-making frameworks were built for a different era. The Commission proposed a European "Article 4" Emergency Security Protocol, allowing member states to convene and coordinate joint responses to serious incidents that remain below the threshold of armed conflict. Brussels also outlined plans for a European Security Council involving international partners including Canada, Norway, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Our systems were made for a different world.
Defense capabilities and support for Ukraine
On military capabilities, the Commission announced a new European Instrument for Strategic Enablers, designed to align directly with NATO standards. The initiative focuses on closing strategic gaps across air and missile defense, strategic transport, in-flight refueling, space operations, and cyberspace. Von der Leyen placed Ukraine at the center of the European defense agenda, urging the rapid delivery of US Patriot missiles already purchased with European funding. Brussels also plans to partner with Kyiv on Project Freyja to develop an affordable, modular missile defense system combining Ukrainian combat experience with European industrial capacity.
Europe will defend every square meter of its territory.
Energy transition and infrastructure bottlenecks
Addressing energy security, the Commission urged an acceleration in clean domestic energy investments across renewables, nuclear power, and biomethane. While the bloc added more than 80 gigawatts of renewable capacity over the past year, von der Leyen stated that six times that capacity remains stalled waiting for grid connections. The Commission outlined targets to electrify the economy, aiming to double electricity's share of energy consumption by 2040 and reduce annual fossil fuel import costs by 260 billion euros. Imported fossil fuels have cost the bloc more than 90 billion euros since the onset of the Strait of Hormuz conflict.
- Imported fuel costs during Hormuz crisis
- 90 € billion
- Targeted annual fossil fuel import savings by 2040
- 260 € billion
Migration framework and emergency response
The address also introduced a proposed European Emergency Response Framework to handle mass migrant arrivals, developed in the wake of the late-July crisis in Ceuta. During that episode, at least 70,000 people crossed the border from Morocco, prompting 114.7 million euros in emergency aid from the Commission alongside deployments from Frontex, Europol, and the EU Asylum Agency. The new framework will establish strictly defined criteria to grant temporary procedural flexibility to affected member states. Von der Leyen reaffirmed that external borders remain a collective European responsibility governed by the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
International partnerships and trade relations
In external relations, von der Leyen invited Canada to become the European Union's first associate member, speaking in the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The proposal seeks to expand the existing CETA trade pact into a broader alliance covering technology, defense industrial integration, critical minerals, energy, artificial intelligence, and Arctic projects. The Commission also called for a rebalancing of economic ties with China, describing current trade relations as unsustainable.
We will always respect our values and fundamental rights, but we will never hesitate in protecting our borders.
