The 13th edition of The State of the Union took place on 4-6 May 2023 and gathered 134 prestigious speakers. The debate unfolded across 35 sessions, delving into issues including the war in Ukraine and its impact on the daily lives of citizens, sustainability and social inclusion, the rule of law, and the digital transition.

The programme featured Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission; Nadia Calviño, First Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for Economic Affairs and Digitalisation of Spain; Dita Charanzova, Vice-President of European Parliament; Sylvie Goulard, Member of the French Diplomatic Service, Republic of France; Mairead McGuinness, Commissioner for Financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union of European Commission; Rastislav Káčer, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Slovak Republic; Tobias Billström, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sweden; Alexander Schallenberg, Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Republic of Austria; Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy; and many other prominent speakers.

The event welcomed more than 700 participants in person and all sessions were livestreamed, with approximately 10,000 people joining from around the world. SOU2024’s success was further reinforced by the onsite presence of more 70 journalists and by over 180 press reports mentioning the conference. A special feature was SOU4YOU, The State of the Union for Young European Citizens, which gathered over 600 people. The Open Day at Villa Salviati, welcomed more than 2,500 visitors. This was all underpinned by the valuable contributions of 51 local and international partners who worked closely with the EUI, in strong alignment with its values and mission, to ensure the event’s success.