Von der Leyen: "Europe is in the midst of a struggle in a world of imperialist ambitions and wars."

The President of the European Commission delivers a speech emphasizing the need for the EU to guarantee its independence and international role through investment in defense and improved competitiveness.

A discourse of war, a discourse of heated struggle. Ursula von de Leyen, President of the European Commission, has kicked off the new political course with a speech marked by Russia's war against Ukraine and the role the European Union must play in it and in a world of enormous geopolitical instability.

In her State of the Union address, where she reviewed the achievements of the current term and addressed the challenges ahead, the EU's top executive asserted that "Europe is in the midst of a struggle in a world of imperialist ambitions and wars—a world where dependencies are ruthlessly used as weapons"—and that, for all these reasons, "a new Europe must emerge."

Appealing to compassion for Ukraine, but also to the survival instinct in the face of a war that could threaten some Member States in the future, von der Leyen announced that the European Commission will begin coordinating the rearmament process that countries are expected to carry out by 2030 next month. In this regard, the German politician explained that she will present the roadmap of the milestones to be met at the next European Council summit, to be held in October.

Furthermore, German policy has announced the launch of biannual Defense Recommendations, which, similar to those traditionally issued twice a year by the European Commission on economic matters, will highlight the needs and shortcomings of Member States in the rearmament process.

Along with this, Von der Leyen has also addressed the thorny issue of Russian assets frozen due to sanctions. According to the President of the European Commission, the time has come to make greater use of these funds—until now, only the interest generated by the investment has been used—to serve as collateral for a loan focused on the reconstruction of Ukraine.

"This must be the moment of Europe's independence. I believe this is the mission of our Union: to be able to take care of our own defense and security," the head of the EU executive stated.