BRUSSELS, March 9 (Reuters) - The EU must be prepared to project its power more assertively as it can no longer rely on a "rules-based" system against threats and must determine if its institutions
Von der Leyen: EU Can’t Rely Solely on Rules-Based System Amid Threats
EU's Strategic Shift in Response to Emerging Threats
Von der Leyen's Call for Assertive Power Projection
BRUSSELS, March 9 (Reuters) - The EU must be prepared to project its power more assertively as it can no longer rely on a "rules-based" system against threats and must determine if its institutions and systems help or hinder its credibility, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.
Defense of the Rules-Based System
"We will always defend and uphold the rules-based system that we helped to build with our allies, but we can no longer rely on it as the only way to defend our interests or assume its rules will shelter us from the complex threats that we face," von der Leyen said at a conference for EU ambassadors.
Reflection on Institutional Adaptation
"We urgently need to reflect on whether our doctrine, our institutions and our decision making – all designed in a postwar world of stability and multilateralism – have kept pace with the speed of change around us. Whether the system that we built – with all of its well-intentioned attempts at consensus and compromise – is more a help or a hindrance to our credibility as a geopolitical actor," she added.
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Lili Bayer; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Bart Meijer)
