European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivered his 2017 State of the Union Address before the Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 13 September. President Juncker presented his priorities for the year ahead and outlined his vision for how the EU could evolve by 2025 (see full speech). He presented a Roadmap for a More United, Stronger and More Democratic Union (see Roadmap Factsheet). The speech was accompanied by the adoption of concrete initiatives by the European Commission on trade, investment screening, cybersecurity, industry, data and democracy, putting words immediately into action. A series of factsheets published on the same day expand on some of the key elements touched upon in the President's speech. President Juncker noted that five years into the economic recovery, the vastly improved economic outlook was due in part to initiatives such as the European Investment Plan which has triggered EUR 225 billion worth of investment so far, as well as the intelligent application of the Stability and Growth Pact which has brought public deficits down from 6.6% to 1.6%. Looking forward, he said that the European Stabilisation Mechanism should progressively graduate into a European Monetary Fund; that the euro should be the single currency of the EU as a whole; and that a new position, European Minister of Economy and Finance, should be created to promote and support structural reforms in Member States.