Juncker presented his vision for the EU in his State of the Union Address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

"The European Union is currently in much better shape than it was a year ago," Government Spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Wednesday at the government press conference in Berlin. "The Federal Government welcomes the fact that in his State of the Union Address President Juncker addressed important questions on the future of the European Union and its priorities," he said. Seibert paid tribute to the fact that Jean-Claude Juncker's speech contained so many proposals.

Federal Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel also appreciated the ideas the President of the EU Commission had presented. Juncker's speech gave a great deal of input for further discussions and debate, Gabriel said. He emphasised the role of the Commission in the European project: "Always look ahead, be a pioneer of the European idea and never give up in the search for ideas and suggestions on how we can foster our shared Europe, make it more resilient to crises and enhance it as a player with a global role," the Foreign Minister added.

Proposals to be discussed in more depth in the autumn

In his speech in Strasbourg Jean-Claude Juncker set out his priorities for the coming year and outlined his vision of how the EU might develop in the period up to 2025. The President of the Commission also laid out a roadmap for a more united, stronger and more democratic Union.

"The heads of state and government will have the opportunity at the Digital Summit, an informal meeting in Tallinn in late September, and at the European Council in October to exchange views on the Commission's proposals," Steffen Seibert said.

Every year in September the President of the European Commission gives a State of the Union Address to the European Parliament. In that speech the President takes stock of the work of the Commission over the past year and gives an outlook over its priorities for the coming year. The speech is followed by a debate in the Parliament. The Address launches a dialogue process between the European Parliament and the European Council on the Commission's work programme for the coming year. The State of the Union Address, enshrined in the Treaty of Lisbon, forms part of agreements reached regarding relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission in 2010.