Jean-Claude Juncker’s message

In his “State of the Union 2016” speech, the President of the European Commission emphasized that it will take courage to realize the project of a united Europe.

Economic and migration crises, terrorist threat to Europe, and the consequences of Brexit for the EU were among the points of the EU president’s annual message to the European Parliament. In his “State of the Union 2016” speech, Jean-Claude Juncker stressed that the EU is not the United States of Europe, but it is more and more threatened by populism and nationalism professed by far right and far left parties. The European Commission president expressed regret over the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, but he assured listeners that this represents no danger to the community.

“We respect and at the same time regret the UK’s decision, but the EU as such is not at risk,” Juncker said. At the same time, he admitted that the European Union is now facing an “existential crisis.”