Key facts
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's address to the European Parliament.
- Von der Leyen reversed an earlier decision to skip the speech due to prior commitments.
- The two largest factions in the European Parliament, the center-right EPP and center-left S&D, have conflicting demands for von der Leyen's upcoming State of the Union speech.
- The EPP wants further deregulation and a tougher stance on migration, while the S&D seeks a halt to green policy deregulation and a rejection of far-right votes.
- Tensions exist between the EPP and S&D over legislative priorities and the upcoming election for Parliament president.
- Last year's post-speech debate saw a heated exchange between EPP's Manfred Weber and S&D's Iratxe García Pérez.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's address to the European Parliament on Thursday, reversing an earlier decision to skip the event. The U-turn comes after Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho confirmed von der Leyen's attendance.
Initially, von der Leyen was set to miss the address due to "prior commitments" in Brussels, including the presentation of a new child online safety law. The decision to skip the speech had drawn criticism from some Members of the European Parliament.
Carney is scheduled to address MEPs on Thursday, where he is expected to advocate for a closer partnership with the EU.
Meanwhile, the two largest factions in the European Parliament, the center-right European People's Party (EPP) and the center-left Social Democrats (S&D), have conflicting expectations for von der Leyen's upcoming State of the Union speech. The EPP desires further simplification of EU laws and a tougher stance on migration, while the S&D calls for no backtracking on the European Green Deal and a move away from deregulation. Tensions are also high regarding the upcoming election for Parliament president and the EPP's past votes with far-right parties on certain legislation.
Last year, the debate following von der Leyen's speech devolved into a public argument between Manfred Weber of the EPP and Iratxe García Pérez of the S&D.