The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker delivered his State of the European Union at the European Parliament on 14 September during the plenary session in Strasbourg.

The State of the European Union address is an opportunity, among others, for the president to highlight the EU’s priorities going forward. President Juncker highlighted some priorities as to invest in the youth, jobseekers, and start-ups; Investment Plan for Africa; free wireless for every European village and city by 2020, fair pay for journalists, publishers and authors; a new European Border and Coast Guard and many more. He added that a European President with more powers of responsibility is necessary and pushed for a vision of more Europe.

ECPM believes the presentation of a vision of a European superstate is not only unnecessary but even misleading to the real perspective of the EU. ECPM believes the unification of the EU is happening on a much broader scale and relates to the single labour market, the Eurozone, Schengen area, migration, where the involvement of all the EU Member States is expected.

As ECR group co-chairs Kamall and Legutko stated it: ‘The EU has become too detached from its citizens and needs to do more to listen to their concerns’. They added that they believe in ‘major reform of the EU based on Eurorealism, a decentralisation of powers and a focus on the economic growth’.

Therefore, ECPM believes Juncker’s proposal for a European superstate will negatively affect the national family policy - and support of the family is what we really need today for Europe.