Economics
With Crisis Fading, EU Chief Juncker Projects Renewed Confidence
“The wind is back in Europe’s sails.”
Jean-Claude Juncker delivers the State of the Union speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on Sept. 13.
Photographer: Jasper Juinen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The last time European Union President Jean-Claude Juncker delivered his annual State of the Union address, the union’s state appeared undeniably tattered: Britain had just voted to Brexit and populist anti-EU parties were surging. Viewed from today, those concerns seem so, well, 2016.
The union appears to have the upper hand in negotiations with the U.K. over its departure, and the threat of populism has receded, so this year’s speech conveyed a renewed level of confidence and optimism.