(Alliance News) - EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called for a "truly independent Europe" at a time of seismic change on the world stage, as she received the International Charlemagne Prize on Thursday.

Accepting the award in the German city of Aachen, she urged "a new form of Pax Europaea for the 21st century, one that is shaped and managed by Europe itself".

The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen has been awarded since 1950 to individuals or institutions that have made outstanding contributions to Europe and European unification.

"What we once relied on as an international order has rapidly descended into an international disorder," von der Leyen said. 

She pointed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine that shattered old certainties after decades in which the US-led NATO alliance had "led to a form of complacency among us".

"We thought we could rely on a peace dividend," she said about the post-Cold War era when European defence spending dropped off. 

"But these times are over," she said, warning that "the world is again marked by imperial ambitions and imperial wars".

"Adversaries of our open democratic societies have rearmed and remobilised," she said. "There is no greater example of that than [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's brutal and ruthless war against Ukraine."

Pointing to moves by the EU and member states to pour hundreds of billions of euros into defence spending, she said "times are changing – and Europe with it". 

"We are doing this to put everything into defending peace," said the European Commission chief. 

"A new international order will emerge in this decade. If we do not want to simply accept the consequences this will have for Europe and the world, we must shape this new order." 

She added that "history does not forgive either dithering or delaying. Our mission is European independence."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office in early May, vowed at the awards ceremony that "Germany is committed to this strong, united Europe". 

"We will not stand on the sidelines when it comes to preserving and strengthening freedom and democracy, the rule of law, and human dignity on our continent."

Merz said "the Germans are ready to take far-reaching decisions at the NATO summit in June, decisions that do justice to Europe's responsibility for its own security."

Berlin has earlier signalled it supports a plan to raise defence spending to 3.5% of GDP and security-related infrastructure outlays to 1.5%.

Among the International Charlemagne Prize's most prominent recipients are the late Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron. 

source: AFP

Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.