The Pre-SOTEU Audit: Parliament Prepares to Gauge von der Leyen II’s Progress

The European Parliament has published a comprehensive evaluation of the second von der Leyen Commission’s policy priorities as Brussels prepares for the 2026 State of the Union address. The state-of-play report takes stock of the executive’s legislative agenda, mapping out promised initiatives against actual progress made since the start of the mandate. Published in early September 2026, the assessment sets the baseline for lawmakers ahead of the annual set-piece speech in Strasbourg.

The State of the Union address—known in the Bubble as SOTEU—is not just a political speech; it dictates what the EU will actually work on for the next twelve months. The priorities set out by the Commission President determine which draft laws make it onto the table, covering everything from energy prices and trade policy to environmental rules and digital regulation. For European citizens, Parliament's pre-speech audit offers a clear look at whether the commitments made by the EU's executive branch are being delivered or bogged down in negotiation.

In Brussels, the weeks leading up to the State of the Union represent an institutional ritual of strategic positioning. The speech itself marks the formal start of the EU’s legislative programming cycle, where the executive presents its ambitious plans and lawmakers gently remind them that an idea is not a law until Parliament and member states have rewritten half of it. By issuing its own inventory of von der Leyen II’s priorities just before the speech, the Parliament sets its marker, ensuring MEPs arrive in Strasbourg armed with precise figures on what has been proposed, what is stalled, and what has vanished into the administrative ether.

Following the publication of the state-of-play report, the Commission President will deliver the 2026 State of the Union address to a plenary session of the European Parliament. That speech will be immediately followed by a debate with political group leaders, after which the executive will send a formal letter of intent to Parliament and the Council detailing the specific legislative proposals planned for the year ahead.