site.btaEC President Von der Leyen: Europe Must Now Carry the Lion-Share of Its Own Security

At a forum in Brussels dedicated to the future of the EU on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that  Europe must now carry the lion-share of its own security. Achieving a more independent Europe of defence will not happen overnight, she added.

Von der Leyen noted that all actions to improve European defence are being taken in coordination with NATO. She explained that the EU has approved the EC's proposals to provide additional funds for defence purposes extremely quickly.

Von der Leyen noted the importance of achieving a reduction in energy prices, as the EU is too dependent on imported fossil fuels. The solution is to produce renewable and nuclear energy. The EU has proposed a two-thirds reduction in the time required for the approval of wind farm projects, said the President of the European Commission and added that national electricity grids in the EU are still not sufficiently well connected.

“Our Single Market is far from complete,” she insisted, adding that Europe has a leading role in the implementation of artificial intelligence, and the new multiannual EU budget provides for a significant increase in funding for research and digitization.