Europe must take responsibility for its own security and reduce external dependencies in today's "dangerous" world, the European Commission president said Wednesday.
Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Ursula von der Leyen described today's international environment as "dangerous and transactional," marked by wars and rising geopolitical competition.
"The reality of this world means we Europeans must defend ourselves and we must depend on ourselves," she said, stressing that Europe can no longer afford to rely on "outdated assumptions" about global stability.
"This is no longer an option. It is a must," she told the European Parliament.
She added that Europe "cannot afford to let the worldviews define us," noting that although the U.S. national security strategy correctly points out Europe's declining share of global GDP, the U.S. is "on the same path."
