This is why, in the State of the Union address, President Barroso called for new thinking for Europe – to draw the consequences of the challenges we are now facing and that are fundamentally changing our world. There can be no growth without reform and no way of confronting our challenges unless we do it together. The State of the Union speech launched ambitious ideas for the long term framing of the EU – a deep and genuine economic union, based on a political union. This vision must be translated into practice through concrete steps, if it is to address the lingering crisis that continues to.
