EU urged to fight for place in 'hostile' world

STRASBOURG:

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday urged Europe to assert its independence in a "hostile" world, as she condemned Russia's drone intrusion in Poland and pushed for tougher action against Israel over Gaza.

"Battle lines for a new world order based on power are being drawn right now," von der Leyen told the European Parliament in her annual State of the EU address.

"So, yes, Europe must fight. For its place in a world in which many major powers are either ambivalent or openly hostile to Europe," she said.

"This must be Europe's independence moment."

The rallying call from the head of the 27-nation bloc's executive comes as she battles criticism over a trade deal with US President Donald Trump — which she said had averted "chaos" — and as the bloc struggles for unity on the Gaza conflict. But it was the war just beyond the bloc's eastern flank that focused attention after Poland and NATO scrambled their defences to counter an intrusion by Russian drones.

Von der Leyen called the airspace violation "reckless and unprecedented".

Building up its defences is a central part of the EU's agenda and von der Leyen said "Europe will defend every inch of its territory".

"Europe's eastern flank keeps all of Europe safe. From the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. This is why we must invest in supporting it," she said. As the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine drags on despite a peace push by Trump, von der Leyen pledged to keep up support for Kyiv and pressure on Moscow.

She said the EU wanted to make sure Russia would ultimately pay for the damage inflicted in Ukraine, with its frozen assets going to fund a new "reparation loan".

Brussels will also host an international summit on trying to return abducted Ukrainian children, she said.

While the EU has remained largely united on Ukraine, it has been riven over the war on Gaza and has struggled to act against Israel despite growing public ire.