SOTEU 2026: Ursula von der Leyen highlights the cost of fossil fuel dependence but does not set a clear phase-out vision

Europe’s latest energy crisis and a summer of deadly heat have made the costs of fossil fuel dependence impossible to ignore. In her 2026 State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recognised these risks and set out measures on electrification and climate resilience. But for Europe to become truly energy independent, a clearer vision for moving away from fossil fuels is still needed.

An approach to adaptation across governance levels

Climate adaptation matters most where people experience its impacts: in their homes, neighbourhoods and communities. On this point, we welcome the focus on preparedness and resilience in this year’s State of the Union address.

After a summer of extreme heat, wildfires and drought across Europe, von der Leyen put climate resilience high on the agenda. The summer’s heatwaves alone are estimated to have contributed to some 35,000 excess deaths across the continent.

She announced that in the upcoming European climate resilience framework they will be identifying 100 vulnerable territories and assessing at which level the risks should be managed. She declared, “this will give us a whole of society approach – all the way through to the local level where adaptation matters most”. This territorial approach is a signal in the right direction, at least when it comes to Europe’s adaptation strategy.

But adaptation cannot be separated from the energy transition.

Electrification at the heart of Europe’s independence

Von der Leyen was clear about one thing: Europe’s dependence on imported fossil fuels is a vulnerability. She highlighted how the closure of the Straight of Hormuz has cost Europe an additional €90 billion and has once again exposed European households, businesses and public budgets to volatile prices.

The answer she put forward is electrification. The Commission’s Electrification Action Plan aims to accelerate the shift towards electricity, while addressing the grid infrastructure and storage challenges that currently hold it back. The Commission has also linked faster electrification to reducing fossil fuel imports and strengthening Europe’s energy independence.

This direction matter, as Von der Leyen declares “we need to double down on our affordable, homegrown, clean energy”.

What she missed? That local authorities have a central role to play in getting there. As we have argued a lot over the past year, local authorities are already driving renewable energy production, building and heating renovation, clean mobility and local flexibility solutions. If Europe is serious about accelerating electrification and doubling the share of electricity in final energy demand by 2040, cities and regions need to be treated as partners in delivering this transformation, not simply as places where EU policies are implemented.

Europe cannot afford another fossil fuel crisis

The State of the Union acknowledged the human and economic costs of climate change and fossil fuel dependence. But recognition is not enough.

Europe needs a clear political direction for phasing out fossil fuels, alongside the investment and fair financing needed to make that transition possible for all of Europe, leaving no one behind.

Ahead of the State of the Union, we joined more than 200 organisations and industry associations calling for a stronger European approach to ending fossil fuel dependence.

In another letter addressed to the Irish Presidency last week, we also joined other organisations in calling for a tax on fossil fuel profits, with revenues helping finance the energy transition and support households, businesses, public budgets and international climate finance.

Europe has the tools to move towards a more secure, affordable and homegrown energy system. What is needed now is a clear direction and the resources to deliver it, with local governments at the heart of the change.

This was at the core of the third letter we signed in the past week from the Local Alliance, calling for Von der Leyen to reaffirm the Commission’s commitment to treating local and regional governments as trusted and indispensable partners. This, however, was clearly missing in von der Leyen’s speech.