The pace of vaccination against Covid-19 must be quickened to avert "a pandemic of the unvaccinated", the European Union's chief executive said today, also urging countries around the globe to step up the fight against climate change.

Ursula von der Leyen's second 'state of the union' address as European Commission president comes after two years that have tested the bloc's resilience, with the coronavirus pandemic, a related sharp economic downturn, and strains over Brexit and the rule of law in eastern member states.

In a broad-brush speech setting out the bloc's priorities for the year ahead, von der Leyen also listed ambitious goals, including technological independence...