In her State of the Union address on 13 September 2023, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen outlined the main priorities and flagship initiatives for the year to come.

As regards migration issues, she highlighted that the new Pact on Migration and Asylum is “striking a new balance between protecting borders and protecting people, between sovereignty and solidarity and between security and humanity".

Ursula von der Leyen also referred to the partnership signed with Tunisia. She stressed that she wanted “to work on similar agreements with other countries".

The President of the European Commission also underlined that constant work is necessary in the fight against human smugglers. As the way these smugglers operate is continuously evolving, "we need new legislation and new governance structure. We need stronger law enforcement, prosecution and a more prominent role for our agencies – Europol, Eurojust and Frontex.” Work is also necessary to tackle the global plague of human trafficking. She announced that the Commission will organize an International Conference on fighting people smuggling.

Finally, Ursula von der Leyen stressed that support to Ukraine will endure. In this regard, the Commission will propose to extend the temporary protection to Ukrainians in the EU.

For further information, please read the full speech here.