Von der Leyen, who won 401 votes in the 720-seat European Parliament to stay in office, put security at the heart of her re-election pitch, stressing the need for a “strong Europe” during a “period of deep anxiety and uncertainty”.
Von der Leyen pledges ‘to build a veritable union of defense’ to protect Europe
Russia warns EU chief’s plans for new defense union signal confrontation
Uploaded: Jul 18, 2024
Russia has warned that the European Union is growing more militarised and confrontational as the bloc’s president outlined plans for a new defence union.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected to a second term in office on Thursday, said she hoped to launch a European Defense Union to deal with cross-border threats over the next five years, starting with a “European Air Shield and cyber defence”.
Re-election bid
Von der Leyen, who won 401 votes in the 720-seat European Parliament to stay in office, put security at the heart of her re-election pitch, stressing the need for a “strong Europe” during a “period of deep anxiety and uncertainty”.
Von der Leyen, who won 401 votes in the 720-seat European Parliament to stay in office, put security at the heart of her re-election pitch, stressing the need for a “strong Europe” during a “period of deep anxiety and uncertainty”.
- She reiterated the EU’s support for Ukraine in its 28-month war with Russia and slammed a recent visit to Moscow by Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban – whose country holds the rotating EU presidency – as an “appeasement mission”.
- Von der Leyen also said she would create a new commissioner to tackle Europe’s housing crisis, “strengthen” the EU’s border agency Frontex and battle disinformation.
“The union needs its own structure dedicated to the fight against manipulation of information and foreign interference,” von der Leyen said.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the proposal demonstrates von der Leyen’s “changing priorities” and the EU’s “military coloring”.
“[It] confirms the general attitude of European states to militarization, escalation of tension, confrontation and reliance on confrontational methods in their foreign policy,” said Peskov.
“Everything is quite obvious here.”
“Everything is quite obvious here.”
- The Kremlin spokesman added that while Russia did not pose a threat to the EU, actions by its member states regarding Ukraine “have excluded any possibility of dialogue and consideration of Russia’s concerns”.
- “These are the realities in which we have to live, and this forces us to configure our foreign policy approaches accordingly,”
The former German defence minister has led the European Commission since 2019, becoming the first woman to hold the post.
She belongs to the biggest political group in the Parliament, the conservative European People’s Party, which is in a centrist coalition with the Socialists and Democrats and the liberal Renew Europe groups.
After her second-term victory, von der Leyen will get to work naming her next cabinet of commissioners for EU policy
She belongs to the biggest political group in the Parliament, the conservative European People’s Party, which is in a centrist coalition with the Socialists and Democrats and the liberal Renew Europe groups.
After her second-term victory, von der Leyen will get to work naming her next cabinet of commissioners for EU policy
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Von der Leyen planning EU ‘defense union’
The bloc needs to be less dependent on foreign allies, the European Commission president has said
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said she plans to turn the EU into a “defense union,” should she secure a second term in office. The German’s vision for the 27-nation bloc includes creating a single defense market.
In a speech ahead of a vote on her position in the European Parliament on Thursday, von der Leyen stated that “Russia is still on the offensive in eastern Ukraine” and claimed that Moscow is “banking on Europe and the West going soft.”
She pledged that “Europe will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” warning that “for the very first time our liberty is at stake.”
“We must do everything we can to protect our citizens, it is our duty. I do believe it is now time to build a veritable European union of defense,” von der Leyen added.
In a speech ahead of a vote on her position in the European Parliament on Thursday, von der Leyen stated that “Russia is still on the offensive in eastern Ukraine” and claimed that Moscow is “banking on Europe and the West going soft.”
She pledged that “Europe will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” warning that “for the very first time our liberty is at stake.”
“We must do everything we can to protect our citizens, it is our duty. I do believe it is now time to build a veritable European union of defense,” von der Leyen added.
The former German defense minister said the EU must keep control of its security and armies within the hands of member states, while NATO will remain “the pillar of our collective defense architecture.”
Her vision, however, entails a single market for defense, joint arms-related investment programs, and common defense projects such as an EU-wide air defense system.
Her vision, however, entails a single market for defense, joint arms-related investment programs, and common defense projects such as an EU-wide air defense system.
- According to von der Leyen, the EU’s defense sector in its current form is too “dependent on foreign allies,” with “spending on defense too low and ineffective.”
Separately, she also pledged to boost cooperation on tackling cyber threats and foreign interference, and triple the number of European border and coast guards to 30,000.
Von der Leyen further signaled that the EU under her leadership would welcome the addition of new members such as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and countries in the West Balkans.
Russia has accused the West of prolonging the Ukraine conflict by continuing to send weapons to Kiev. Moscow has also rejected allegations that it is planning to attack EU countries as “horror stories” and “nonsense.”
The European Parliament will decide later on Thursday whether to appoint von der Leyen for another five years at the helm of the bloc. While she is the only candidate for the post, she must still win a majority, or 361 votes out of 720, to hold on to her seat.
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