// LEADERS' VIEWS
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Defending Europe’s freedom and future E urope is in a fight. A fight for a continent that is whole and at peace. For a free and independent
one point: Whether on environmental or digital regulation, we set our own standards. We set our own regulations. Europe will always decide for itself… I do not believe in tariffs. Tariffs are taxes. But the deal provides crucial stability in our relations with the US at a time of grave global insecurity. Think of the repercussions of a full-fledged trade war with the US. Picture the chaos. And then put that image next to the one from China just last week [2 September]. China flanked by the Leaders of Russia and North Korea. [Russian president Vladimir] Putin gloating about how Russia-China relations are at an unprecedented high … And it creates two imperatives for Europe’s independence push and its place in the world. The first is that we need to double down on diversification and partnerships. 80% of our trade is with countries other than the US … At a time when the global trading system is crumbling, we are securing the global rules through bilateral agreements. Like with Mexico or Mercosur. Or finalising negotiations on a historic deal with India by the end of this year. We will also build a coalition of like-minded countries to reform the global trading system – like the CPTPP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership]. Because trade allows us to strengthen our supply chains. Open up markets. Reduce dependencies. Ultimately, this is about enhancing our economic security… This summer, we all saw the pictures of Europe’s forests and villages on fire. More than a million hectares were burned. An area around a third of the size of Belgium. The scale of the damage is enormous. And we know it is not a one off. Climate change is making each summer hotter, harsher, and more dangerous. This is why we have to radically step up our efforts into climate resilience and adaptation, and nature-based solutions. But we must also give ourselves the tools to respond … This is why we will propose to create a new European firefighting hub based in Cyprus, which could also support our regional neighbours. 2025 State of the Union Address, 9 September 2025
is affected. So at the height of the energy crisis in the last years, Europe acted. And thanks to that common effort, we quickly managed to stabilise prices and secure supply. We are now on the path to energy independence. But energy bills are still a real source of anxiety for millions of Europeans. And costs are still structurally high for industry. We know what drove prices up: dependency on Russian fossil fuels. So it is time to get rid of dirty Russian fossil fuels. And we know, what brings prices down: clean homegrown energy. We need to generate more homegrown renewables – with nuclear as a baseload… When we talk about competitiveness and independence we must talk about our relations with the United States … Our trading relationship with the US is our most important. We export over EUR 500 billion worth of goods to the US every year. Millions of jobs depend on it. As President of the Commission, I will never gamble with people’s jobs or livelihoods. This is why we did a deal to keep market access for our industries. And we ensured that Europe got the best possible deal out there… And I want to be crystal clear on
Europe. A fight for our values and our democracies. A fight for our liberty and our ability to determine our destiny for ourselves. Make no mistake – this is a fight for our future… Freedom and independence are what the people of Ukraine are fighting for today… This war needs to end with a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. Because Ukraine’s freedom is Europe’s freedom… We need more pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table. We need more sanctions. We are now working on the 19th package in coordination with partners. We are particularly looking at phasing out Russian fossil fuels faster, the shadow fleet and third countries. And at the same time we need more support for Ukraine… This is why we need to work urgently on a new solution to finance Ukraine’s war effort on the basis of the immobilised Russian assets. With the cash balances associated with these Russian assets, we can provide Ukraine with a Reparations Loan. The assets themselves will not be touched. And the risk will have to be carried collectively. Ukraine will only pay back the loan once Russia pays for the reparations. The money will help Ukraine already today… Already today, low-carbon sources account for over 70% of our electricity. We are global leaders in clean tech patents – better than the US, and racing with China. We are catching up with US venture capital for clean tech – and way ahead of China. We are firmly on track to achieve our 2030 target to cut emissions by at least 55%. This is the power of the European Green Deal. And we must stay the course on our climate and environmental goals. This is why the European Commission proposed the 2040 targets – ten years after the Paris Agreement… When energy costs rise, it is not just numbers on a bill. It is every single part of people’s lives that
28 // G20 SOUTH AFRICA: THE JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT 2025
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