European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday urged the EU members to build a stronger health union, promising a biomedical research agency and a global summit. In her first annual State of the European Union address, von der Leyen said the COVID-19 pandemic had underlined the need for closer cooperation, stressing that people were "still suffering".

"For me, it is crystal clear — we need to build a stronger European Health Union," she said.