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

[ad_1] BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s strongest official warned Wednesday that Europe is battling towards a collection of threats posed by Russia, new international trade 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 combat off Russia’s full-scale invasion , and she or he known as for commerce restrictions and sanctions on Israel over the warfare in Gaza.

She additionally defended the deal she reached with U.S. President Donald Trump to restrict the influence of his international tariff warfare, regardless of agreeing to a 15% responsibility fee for many European exports to america.

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

“Battle traces for a brand new world order based mostly on energy are being drawn proper now,” she mentioned, including that the EU “should combat 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 develop into 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 influence the lives of round 450 million individuals throughout 27 nations, and screens whether or not these guidelines are revered.

Lately, it has helped Europe to outlive fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic , break its dependency on Russian power provides and deal with a commerce warfare launched by a standard ally just like the U.S.

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

“We'd like extra stress on Russia to come back 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 power revenues.

Poland mentioned Wednesday that multiple Russian drones entered its territory over the course of a number of hours and had 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 stress on Russia to come back to the negotiation desk. We'd like extra sanctions.”

Ukraine’s financial system Von der Leyen additionally mentioned that new methods to handle Ukraine’s monetary challenges should additionally come via the usage of frozen Russian assets in Europe. Virtually 200 billion euros ($235 billion) value of these property are being held in a Belgian clearing home.

Curiosity earned on the property – round 3.5 billion euros ($4.1 billion) had been generated final yr – are already getting used to assist prop up Ukraine’s war-ravaged financial 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 develop into a decisive issue within the warfare – with 6 billion euros ($7 billion) in funds for the hassle.

Freezing help to Israel To applause within the parliament, the fee chief mentioned that she needs to freeze some monetary help to Israel, and to impose commerce restrictions and sanctions on the federal government over the warfare 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 kids and households “has shaken the conscience of the world.”

“Man-made famine can by no means be a weapon of warfare. For the sake of the kids, 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 give attention to Gaza’s future reconstruction.

U.S. tariff deal Addressing criticism of the tariff cope with Trump, von der Leyen underlined that Europe is determined by america as a significant buying and selling companion, and that the place of European companies was improved in comparison with different nations that received a worse deal.

“Hundreds of thousands of jobs rely upon” that relationship, she mentioned. “And as president of the fee, I'll by no means gamble with individuals’s jobs and livelihoods.”

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