EU chief says it is time for Europe's 'independence second' confronted with battle and main energy tensions

[ad_1] BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s strongest official warned Wednesday that Europe is battling in opposition to a sequence of threats posed by Russia, new international commerce challenges and even different main world powers and should stake declare to its independence.

In a State of the Union speech, European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen introduced new measures to assist Ukraine battle off Russia's full-scale invasion, and she or he known as for commerce restrictions and sanctions on Israel over the battle in Gaza.

She additionally defended the deal she reached with U.S. President Donald Trump to restrict the affect of his international tariff battle, regardless of agreeing to a 15% responsibility charge for many European exports to the US.

Struggle for values

“Europe is in a battle,” von der Leyen instructed EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France. “A battle for our values and our democracies. A battle for our liberty and our capability to find out our future for ourselves. Make no mistake — it is a battle for our future.”

“Battle traces for a brand new world order primarily based on energy are being drawn proper now,” she mentioned, including that the EU “should battle for its place in a world by which many main powers are both ambivalent or overtly hostile to Europe.”

“This have to be Europe’s independence second,” mentioned the 66-year-old former German protection minister, who has grow to be a distinguished determine at summits with leaders around the globe, regardless of her function as a political appointee who hasn't been elected to workplace.

The fee is the EU’s government arm. It proposes legal guidelines that affect the lives of round 450 million folks throughout 27 nations, and displays whether or not these guidelines are revered.

In recent times, it has helped Europe to outlive fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, break its dependency on Russian vitality provides and address a commerce battle launched by a standard ally just like the U.S.

Russian aggression

Turning to Russia’s battle on Ukraine, now in its fourth 12 months, von der Leyen mentioned that Russian President Vladimir Putin reveals no signal of ending the battle, and that “our response have to be clear too.”

“We'd like extra strain on Russia to return to the negotiation desk. We'd like extra sanctions,” she mentioned. The fee and EU member nations are engaged on a brand new raft of sanctions focusing on Russia’s vitality revenues.

Poland mentioned Wednesday that a number of Russian drones entered its territory over the course of a number of hours and have been shot down with assist from NATO allies.

Von der Leyen condemned the “reckless and unprecedented violation of Poland and Europe’s airspace."

“Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland,” she mentioned. “Putin’s message is obvious, and our response have to be clear, too. We'd like extra strain on Russia to return to the negotiation desk. We'd like extra sanctions.”

Ukraine's economic system

Von der Leyen additionally mentioned that new methods to deal with Ukraine’s monetary challenges should additionally come by way of the usage of frozen Russian belongings in Europe. Nearly 200 billion euros ($235 billion) price of these belongings are being held in a Belgian clearing home.

Curiosity earned on the belongings – round 3.5 billion euros ($4.1 billion) have been generated final 12 months – are already getting used to assist prop up Ukraine’s war-ravaged economic system. Von der Leyen mentioned {that a} “reparations mortgage” for harm inflicted by Russia is being weighed.

She additionally introduced the creation of a “drone alliance” with Ukraine – drones have grow to be a decisive issue within the battle – with 6 billion euros ($7 billion) in funds for the trouble.

Freezing help to Israel

To applause within the parliament, the fee chief mentioned that she desires to freeze some monetary help to Israel, and to impose commerce restrictions and sanctions on the federal government over the battle in Gaza.

Breaking together with her historically very sturdy pro-Israeli authorities stance, von der Leyen mentioned that the occasions in Gaza and the struggling of youngsters and households “has shaken the conscience of the world.”

“Man-made famine can by no means be a weapon of battle. For the sake of the youngsters, for the sake of humanity. This should cease,” she mentioned. She added that the fee will arrange a brand new Palestinian donor group, with a concentrate on Gaza’s future reconstruction.

U.S. tariff deal

Addressing criticism of the tariff cope with Trump, von der Leyen underlined that Europe will depend on the US as a significant buying and selling associate, and that the place of European companies was improved in comparison with different nations that received a worse deal.

“Tens of millions of jobs rely on” that relationship, she mentioned. “And as president of the fee, I'll by no means gamble with folks’s jobs and livelihoods.”