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Von der Leyen pushes stronger independent Europe amid rising global threats
Ursula von der Leyen used her annual EU speech to unveil major security, Ukraine and trade proposals. The package reflects Europe's turn towards self-reliance amid war, economic strain and geopolitical fragmentation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday called for a stronger and more independent Europe, saying the bloc was facing a more hostile world shaped by Russia's war in Ukraine, conflict in West Asia, economic pressure from China, high energy costs and growing security threats. In her annual State of the European Union address, she said, "The state of our Union is the strongest it has ever been. The state of our Union can also feel as precarious as it has ever been."
Speaking at the European Parliament, von der Leyen set out proposals on defence, foreign policy, energy, trade, climate, artificial intelligence and online safety for children. She said, "In this world, Europe has chosen to forge its own path. And a stronger, independent Europe is now emerging," while arguing that Europe must cut dependence on imported fossil fuels, China and other outside suppliers and strengthen its own industries, defence and internal market.
In Strasbourg, von der Leyen referred to Europe's response to threats to Greenland without naming US President Donald Trump, whose administration has repeatedly expressed interest in taking control of the Danish autonomous territory. The EU has earlier expressed solidarity with Denmark and Greenland and stressed the importance of territorial integrity and sovereignty.
A key part of her speech was a proposed "Emergency Security Protocol", described as Europe's own "Article 4" and modelled on NATO's Article 4. Under the proposal, a security incident in one EU member state would trigger consultations among all member states to coordinate a response, deter further escalation and reduce its impact. She said Europe also needed a common way to respond to attacks that fall short of armed aggression but threaten national security, referring to recent incidents involving drones and other hybrid threats. Von der Leyen also said Russian operatives had carried out an attack using military-grade material on European soil.
She separately proposed a European Security Council involving partners including Canada, Norway, Ukraine and the UK. She also announced a proposed European Instrument for Strategic Enablers covering air and missile defence, strategic transport, air-to-air refuelling, space and cyber systems. "Europe will defend each and every single square metre of its territory," she said.
The war in Ukraine remained central to her address. Von der Leyen promised stronger support through the coming winter, including humanitarian aid and steps to protect Ukraine's energy and heating infrastructure. She also called for stronger air defences for Ukraine, including the urgent delivery of US-made Patriot missiles, and proposed developing a modular missile defence system with Ukraine.
In a major foreign policy announcement, von der Leyen proposed that Canada become the EU's first "associate member", opening a new level of cooperation in defence, energy, critical minerals, batteries, AI, quantum technology and cyber security. She said the EU and Canada should move beyond their current trade ties towards an "Alliance for the Future". European Parliament President Roberta Metsola presided over the debate, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended as guest of honour. The annual State of the European Union address began in 2010, and this was von der Leyen's sixth.
On West Asia, von der Leyen said the suffering in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank had deeply affected Europeans. She criticised Israel's decision to advance the E1 settlement project and said the EU should continue working to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution. Acknowledging divisions within the EU over the conflict, she said Europe's failure to agree on a common response had been painful. Von der Leyen said Europe supported Israel's right to self-defence while maintaining that Palestinians had an equal right to live in safety and dignity. "It is Europe's role to keep the flame of a two-state solution alive," she said.
Economic security was another main theme. Von der Leyen said the EU's trade deficit with China had reached a "tipping point" and was hurting European industry. "Our trade deficit with China is now 1 billion euros – a day," she said. She added that talks with China to rebalance trade had to deliver results, saying, "Words are good. But deeds are better." She also said the bloc was more than 80 per cent dependent on China for many critical raw materials and about 90 per cent dependent for some rare earths. She announced plans for a new European Corporation on Critical Raw Materials to help procure and stockpile supplies needed for electric vehicles, chips, batteries, clean technology and defence.
On energy, von der Leyen said Europe's move away from Russian gas had diversified supplies, but the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had once again exposed dependence on imported fossil fuels. "Since the start of the conflict, imported fossil fuels have cost us an additional 90 billion euros, without a single molecule of energy added," she said. She called for greater use of homegrown clean energy, including renewables, nuclear power and biomethane. She also said kick-starting Europe's economy was the Commission's "number one priority", pointed to pressure from high energy prices and borrowing costs, and said the bloc should complete the overhaul of the Single Market by the end of next year. She called for faster permitting, especially for projects in Europe's strategic interests, and for member states to reduce administrative burdens on businesses.
Climate change and technology also featured prominently. Von der Leyen said that after a summer of heatwaves and wildfires across Europe, 660,000 hectares had been burnt, around 12 million tonnes of crops had been lost and heatwaves had led to an estimated 35,000 additional deaths. She announced a Climate Insurance Alliance, saying only about 25 per cent of catastrophe losses in Europe were covered by private insurance. On AI, she said the technology was becoming a "foundational layer" for Europe's economy and security, but warned about risks linked to frontier models, cyberattacks, malicious code and self-improving systems. She said the EU's AI Act was essential to put guardrails in place and called for cooperation with partners including Canada and the UK on model evaluation, verification, early warning and AI security. Stressing that AI should assist rather than replace human judgement, especially in healthcare, she said, "AI needs to empower our doctors. Not to replace them." She also said the Commission would propose the EU KIDS ACT, with different levels of protection by age, adding, "No social media under the age of 13. No personal account under the age of 15," with limited, parent-supervised accounts for those aged 13 to 15 and stricter obligations on platforms for users aged 15 to 18.
Von der Leyen's address presented a broad push for a more self-reliant Europe, combining proposals on security, support for Ukraine, ties with Canada, energy independence, trade rebalancing with China, climate response, AI safeguards and online protections for children.
