JAKARTA - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, in today's "dangerous" world, Europe must take responsibility for its own security and reduce external dependence.
Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France ahead of the European Council meetings on Thursday and Friday, Ursula von der Leyen described the current international environment as "dangerous and transactional," marked by war and increasing geopolitical competition.
"The reality of this world means that we, Europeans, must defend ourselves and we must rely on ourselves," he said, stressing that Europe is no longer able to rely on "obsolete assumptions" about global stability, Anadolu (18/12) reported.
Further, he said, Europe "cannot allow a worldview to define us," noting that although the United States' national security strategy correctly points out the declining share of Europe's global GDP, the United States "is on the same track."
Von der Leyen argued that the European Union had made significant progress in terms of independence, particularly in the energy sector, noting that under the REPowerEU plan, Russian gas imports had dropped from 45 percent at the start of the war in Ukraine to 13 percent, coal imports had dropped to zero, and crude oil imports from Russia had decreased from 26 percent to 2 percent.
"The era of European independence must be unstoppable," he added.
Von der Leyen stressed the need for rapid action in defense and security, saying that Europe must be able to respond to modern hybrid threats.
"The point is simple, Europe must take responsibility for its own security. This is no longer an option. It is a necessity," he said.
Von der Leyen said the European Union had significantly increased its defence efforts, allowing for investments of up to 800 billion euros ($937 billion) by 2030, compared with 8 billion euros invested over the past decade.
He described support for war-torn Ukraine as "Europe's most important defensive act," citing his proposal of two funding options for continued assistance - one based on frozen Russian assets and the other based on EU loans - and urged EU leaders to take a decision at the European Council this week to secure Ukraine's funding for the next two years.
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