STRASBOURG — European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday urged EU leaders not to let Brexit dominate the European political agenda, and offered what he called a “positive” vision for a union he said was in “crisis.”

Speaking to members of the European Parliament in an eagerly awaited State of the Union address, Juncker said the EU needed to confront the “galloping populism” that he blamed for many of the problems facing the bloc. But he dismissed the idea that, despite the many challenges facing it, the EU was coming apart at the seams.

“We regret the Brexit decision,” Juncker said, “but the European Union’s existence is not at risk.”

Juncker echoed a call he made last year in the same setting, telling MEPs that Europe needed to work harder to boost solidarity because the EU “still does not have enough Union.” He also repeated a demand he and other leaders made in June after the U.K. vote to leave the EU: for Britain to act “as quickly as possible” to begin the process of leaving the union.

Speaking in subdued tones and generally avoiding lofty rhetorical flourishes, Juncker made a renewed case for the EU to be a “driving force” as it moves through the Brexit process and beyond. He said his goal was to create a “better Europe” — a line that, like many others in the speech, spurred polite applause from MEPs.

Juncker’s low-key approach contrasted with that of European Council President Donald Tusk, who a day earlier sent to European leaders a bleak assessment of the public’s perception of the EU amid the migrant crisis, fears of terrorism and paltry economic growth.

Officials involved in the preparation of Juncker’s speech said it was designed to be “pragmatic and consensual” and to avoid upsetting the delicate political climate in EU countries — including Germany, France and the Netherlands — with elections in the coming months. According to one EU official, “The philosophy is to avoid confrontation between the 28 because of the elections.”

Both presidents laid out their visions shortly before EU leaders — apart from Britain’s Theresa May — meet in Bratislava for a summit brainstorming session on moving Europe beyond its current crises.

Key to that, Juncker said, was a stronger focus on providing security for European citizens — not just from terrorist threats, but also from the effects of economic downturn and globalization.

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“The European Union should not only preserve our European way of life,” he said, “but also empower those who are living it.”

As is traditional in the State of the Union speech, the Commission president offered a series of policy proposals — some new, some in need of a reboot. These included a push to complete the capital markets union aimed at boosting investment and growth across the bloc; a revamp of telecoms and copyright rules to better reflect digital technologies (and offer the prospect of free public wireless internet access to Europeans); and another promise to streamline regulation by cutting bureaucratic red tape.

Juncker also highlighted the importance of improving cooperation among EU national governments to address the external and internal security threats facing the Continent after a series of terrorist attacks in the past year. He said the EU would call on countries to work together on defense — a goal that has proved elusive in the past.

“The world is getting bigger every day, and Europe is getting smaller,” he said. “It’s not enough for the EU to be a soft power.”

Later on Wednesday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was expected to make a renewed push for her strategy on security and defense, an effort to boost the EU’s hard-power profile even as it increased investment in Africa to try to improve conditions in countries that have been the source of many refugees.

Juncker said the EU should deploy “at least” 200 border guards on the Bulgarian-Turkish border by October in order to address concerns about the inflow of migrants to Europe. He said the EU was on its way to realizing a plan for a fully operational EU border and coast guard by the end of this year. He also pushed for the creation of a single military general headquarters for the EU, to “be in charge all together of the protection of our interests.”

Juncker also proposed a new EU variant of the U.S. Peace Corps. The “European Solidarity Corps,” he said, would mobilize young people across the Continent to respond to humanitarian emergencies.

In an outline of the main themes of his State of the Union speech sent to other EU leaders on Wednesday morning, Juncker portrayed the EU as being at a “critical juncture” in its history. He said despite the “numerous” challenges facing the union, including the impending departure of the U.K. from the bloc, the EU still needed to put forward an agenda that addresses citizens’ concerns about security, the economy and migration.

“Though the outcome of the referendum in the U.K. affects us all,” Juncker told leaders, “it must not dominate our agenda for the next years.”

Reaction to Juncker’s speech in the Parliament chamber was generally positive — at least with the pro-European political groups, many of whose members gave him a standing ovation at the end.

Gianni Pittella, leader of the center-left socialist bloc in the Parliament called the speech “aware and responsible” but also said EU leaders needed to wake up to the challenges facing the EU. “Leaders seem to be sleepwalking through the night,” Pittella said. 

But others were more critical. Syed Kamall, leader of the Tories in the European Parliament, called Juncker’s plea for a renewed vision of the EU “same mantra we’ve heard year after year.”

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Front, described Juncker’s speech as “insipid,” “faulty,” and “almost like a funeral for the EU.”