Von der Leyen Urges More European Sovereignty

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen urged more European sovereignty in her second annual speech on the state of the union. Ms Leyen called for more independence in digital technology, defence, and a global investment programme, EUobserver reports.

Von der Leyen also called for countries to join in accelerating the fight against climate change. The president of the Commission proposed “a new health preparedness and resilience mission for the whole of the European Union”. A ‘Team Europe’ investment of €50 billion by 2027 will back up these efforts, Euractiv.com reports. “There is no better return on investment than that,” von der Leyen stated.

The Commission president also announced the intention to boost Europe’s semiconductor capacity and reinforce its new drive for strategic autonomy.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has called for EU “political will” to send joint forces into combat in a “hyper-competitive” world.