Von der Leyen says EU can no longer rely on rules-based world order and must project its own power

That is the message that Ursula von der Leyen brought this Monday to the annual conference of EU ambassadors in Brussels. “We need a more realistic and interest-driven foreign policyand we must be able to apply it,” says the president of the Commission.

The first scenario in which to apply this new pragmatism is the war unleashed by Donald Trump y Benjamin Netanyahu against Iran. Von der Leyen has left the debate on respect for international law in the background and has focused on what is essential for her: the end of the ayatollah regime.

With this approach, the president of the Commission distances herself from Pedro Sanchezthe European leader who has most forcefully condemned Trump’s intervention. It is also separated from French Emmanuel Macron and the Italian Giorgia Meloniwhich have questioned its fit into international legality, and is close to the position of the chancellor Friedrich Merzwho maintains that “now is not the time to give lessons to our allies.”

“You will hear different opinions about whether the conflict in Iran is a war of choice or a war of necessity. But I think this debate partly misses the essential point. Because Europe must focus on the reality of the situation, see the world as it is today,” defended the head of the Commission.

“I want to be clear: no tears should be shed for the Iranian regime who has inflicted death and imposed repression on his own people,” Von der Leyen alleges.

Many Iranians, within the country and across Europe and the world, have celebrated the passing of Ayatollah Khamenei. And also many more people throughout the region. They hope that this moment can open a path to a free Iran. “The people of Iran deserve freedom, dignity and the right to decide their own future, even though we know that this will be fraught with danger and instability during and after the war,” the German said.

In any case, Von der Leyen admits that the intervention has caused “a regional conflict with unintended consequences”, with a “contagion effect” that “is already a reality today, whether in energy and finance, trade and transport, or the displacement of people.”

“All this shows how precarious the global situation is today, how diverse the threats are and how Europe will always be affected by what happens in the world. So the idea that we can simply retreat and withdraw from this chaotic world is simply a fallacy.“, he pointed out.

In any case, Von der Leyen emphasizes that “Europe can no longer be the guardian of the old world order, of a world that has already gone and will not return.”

“We will always defend and preserve the rules-based system we helped build with our allies, but we can no longer rely on it as the only way to defend our interests or assume that its rules will protect us from the complex threats we face.”

“We must be prepared to project our power more firmly. For example, to counter foreign aggression and interference with all our tools, whether economic or diplomatic, technological or military,” alleges the president of the Commission.

“Or being much more pragmatic when doing business in the world. In my travels around the world I have spoken with many of you who have pointed out the same thing: Europe needs to go on the offensive and start taking advantage of the opportunities that exist“Von der Leyen stated.

In his opinion, this paradigm shift requires a profound reform of European foreign policy instruments, in particular the unanimity rule, which often delays or paralyzes the EU’s action in the world.

“We urgently need to reflect on whether our doctrine, our institutions and our decision-making – all designed in a post-war world of stability and multilateralism – have kept pace with the speed of change around us.”

“If the system we built – with all its well-intentioned attempts at consensus and compromise– is more a help or a hindrance to our credibility as a geopolitical actor.”

“I know this is a tough message and a difficult conversation to have. But I also know that many of you have felt this tension in your daily work. The point is that if we believe – as I do – that we need a more realistic and interest-driven foreign policy, then we must be able to implement it,” Von der Leyen told the ambassadors.