Von der Leyen State of Union flags climate impacts, omits key policy details

In her State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen cited climate change impacts such as burned land, lost crops, and heatwave deaths, signaling elevated political priority. However, the speech omitted specific new policy commitments or targets, leaving the EU's near-term climate agenda uncertain. This matters as it frames the Commission's legislative direction ahead of upcoming climate negotiations.