State of the Union (European Union) foresees that the President of the European Commission sends a letter of intent to the President of the European Parliament and the Presidency of the Council of the European Union that sets out in detail the actions the European Commission intends to take by means of legislation and other initiatives until the end of the following year. The address is then followed by a general debate on political situation of the Union, the so-called State of the Union debate. The first State of the Union speech of the European Union was pronounced on 7 September 2010 by President José Manuel
Member state of the European Union to join as if it were a new country applying from scratch. However, other studies claim internal enlargement is legally viable if, in case of a member state dissolution or secession, the resulting states are "all" considered successor states. There is also a European Citizens' Initiative that aims at guaranteeing the continuity of rights and obligations of the European citizens belonging to a new state arising from the democratic secession of a European Union member state. There is no provision to expel a member state, but provides for the suspension of certain rights. Introduced in the Treaty of Amsterdam, Article