Jean-Claude Juncker has demanded that European Union governments sacrifice their vetoes on EU foreign policy decisions in a flagship speech that called for more national powers to be centralised in Brussels.

The president of the European Commission called on Wednesday “for a stronger, more united Europe” that could flex its muscles as a “global player”.

He said that could only be achieved by EU countries pooling their sovereignty to boost the bloc’s economic, political and military power. But he denied he was trying to turn the EU into “a superpower”.

Mr Juncker ridiculed Theresa May’s threat that Britain could build a rival satellite to the EU’s Galileo navigation system after Brexit. He rejected parts of the prime minister’s controversial Chequers plan in his final annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg before he steps down next year.

“The challenges before our continent are growing day after day. So we cannot ease up in our efforts, even for one second, as we seek to build a more united and stronger Europe,” Mr Juncker told MEPs before addressing trade disputes with Donald Trump’s USA and China, as well as the threat of a more belligerent Russia.