16 Months to Deliver and Build the Future of Europe: A Few Take Aways from President Juncker's 2017 State of the Union Speech

During what is seen as a defining moment for European Commission President Junkers legacy, the ‘State of the Union’ speech on September 13, Juncker delivered a speech that was passionate and very personal and as expected very pro-European. Reflecting on the change of circumstances from the last speech like this in 2016 where there was a sense of existential risk for the EU following Brexit, and the upcoming elections in France and elsewhere, he sought to place the European Union in front of “a new window of opportunity”.

There is a short period of 16 months to deliver before the end of the Commission’s mandate. These kind of ambitions have been annunciated before by European leaders, only to be thrown off track by Member States maintaining their irritating habit of national decision-making. The question is will this time be any different?

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