Europe must unite to become independent in a world marked by wars and uncertainty about energy and supply chains. This is what the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, says before Monday's meeting in the Armenian capital Yerevan.
The leaders of the EU countries and leaders of a number of European countries outside the EU gather here in the European Political Community.
- We will primarily discuss how we can achieve an independent Europe. This requires that we reduce our dependencies in several areas, says von der Leyen.
The announcement comes after the war in Ukraine and most recently the US and Israel's war against Iran have exposed Europe's challenges when it comes to energy.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's attacks on neighboring countries' energy infrastructure have caused the price of gas and oil to skyrocket in Europe in a short time. The situation in the Middle East has also created uncertainty about the airlines' fuel supplies. Europe will have to get rid of this, says von der Leyen.
- We are too dependent on fossil fuel imports, and therefore we must make do with uncertain global markets. We will have to increase our own energy assets. These are renewable energy and nuclear power. They are both cheaper and reliable, says von der Leyen.
She will also use the meeting to focus on strengthening Europe's defense. Here, on Monday, the leaders of the EU countries will have the opportunity to talk to both the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, and the leaders of the countries in the Western Balkans.
Brussels is trying to achieve European cooperation so that Europe can stand stronger against Russia, among others.
- We must increase our military capabilities so that we can protect ourselves. A lot of money has been made available for investments in defense. Now we really need to increase production, says von der Leyen.
Europe hopes, among other things, to be able to utilize Ukraine's experiences with drone warfare and drone production to increase the defense of other parts of the continent.
In addition to energy and defense, according to von der Leyen, the meeting will also be used to discuss how Europe can better secure its supply chains.
Both the corona epidemic, China's control of raw materials and US President Donald Trump's decisions on tariffs on European goods have shown the fragility of global supply chains.
The way forward is more free trade agreements, von der Leyen believes. She cites as an example the EU's trade agreement with the South American Mercosur countries, which entered into temporary force on May 1.
The EU has also made agreements with, among others, India, which the parties are now in the process of ratifying. Acting Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) will not participate in Monday's meeting in Yerevan.
/ritzau/
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