The EU must become more realistic and interest-driven to keep up with the new world order, bloc chief says
2-MIN READ2-MIN1 ListenFinbarr Berminghamin BrusselsPublished: 5:27pm, 9 Mar 2026The EU must decide whether the rules-based international order “is more a help or a hindrance to our credibility as a geopolitical actor”, the bloc’s top official said on Monday, in the strongest sign yet that it might break from decades of rigid adherence to global norms.
“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.”
US-Israeli strikes hit oil storage facility in Tehran
US-Israeli strikes hit oil storage facility in TehranThe call comes as war rages in the Middle East, triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran that were broadly seen as a breach of international rules.AdvertisementVon der Leyen did not condemn the attacks in her speech, instead saying “there should be no tears shed for the Iranian regime” and speaking of an “existential” and “precarious” moment for Europe.
