On 14 September, ahead of the State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, ALDE Party Co-Presidents Timmy Dooley and Ilhan Kyuchyuk issued the following statement:

Ahead of the State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, ALDE Party welcomes the European Commission's work over the past year. There have been notable accomplishments in encouraging cooperation against COVID-19 and on the path forward for recovery. However, when the Commission President gives her speech, we hope to see concrete steps forward to address some of the significant issues that the post-pandemic recovery entails.  

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent events at the geopolitical scale, as well as devastating natural disasters have reminded us of the need for a stronger and bolder European Union to keep citizens and businesses safe.

As vaccination continues and economies start to reopen again, we have the unique opportunity to build a stronger Europe on health issues. A bolder Europe towards strategic rivals such as China and Russia. An open Europe when it comes to trade and transatlantic relations. A global leader to combat climate change.

The Conference on the Future of Europe presents an opportunity for Europe to forge a new path forward. However, we must ensure it does not result in a public relations exercise only.

We look forward to hearing the proposals and update from the Commission President and to continuing working together to build a Europe focused on European citizens.