We Mean Business Coalition statement on the EU’s State of the Union Address 2026
We Mean Business Coalition
A statement from our CEO, Maria Mendiluce:
“President von der Leyen made Europe’s direction of travel clear today with a call to make Europe’s future electric – putting electrification firmly at the heart of the region’s economic and energy security agenda. Her focus on faster permitting is welcome to overcome delays holding back new energy and infrastructure projects. Businesses also need grid connections to keep pace if Europe’s electrification ambition is to translate into investment. The priority now is to make clean energy abundant, affordable and accessible across Europe.
“The Commission President was also clear that Europe’s climate targets stand firm – while moving the debate from recognising the risk to preparing for it. Better climate risk planning, stronger investment in resilience and action to close Europe’s insurance protection gap are urgently needed. Businesses and communities cannot keep absorbing mounting losses after disasters hit – resilience has to be built into investment decisions. The proposed EU-wide heatwave plan and stronger climate adaptation measures are a welcome step towards better protecting Europe.”