With the transatlantic alliance on the brink of collapse, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took to the main stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to advocate for “European independence” and argue that powerful changes to the world order should be treated as catalysts for good rather than cataclysms.
“Geopolitical shocks can and should be opportunities for Europe. And in my view, the upheaval we are experiencing today is an opportunity and, indeed, a necessity if we are to forge a new form of European independence,” she said.
“This need is not new, nor is it a reaction to recent events. It has been a structural imperative since time immemorial.”
This is not the first time Ms von der Leyen has called for greater autonomy, but her speech at Davos took on new meaning against the backdrop of the extraordinary crisis that has pitted both sides of the Atlantic.
US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 10% tariffs on eight European NATO members to force the sale of Denmark’s Greenland territory has upended the 80-year alliance and fueled serious fears of an irreversible rift.
Trump’s tariffs will go into effect on February 1, unless European countries betting on diplomatic détente can persuade him to change his mind.
“We consider the American people not just allies, but friends,” von der Leyen said, striking a balance between conciliatory and assertive.
“Putting us into a dangerous downward spiral will only aid the very adversaries we are both keen to keep out of our strategic vision, so our response will be unflinching, united and proportionate.”
So far, President Trump has shown no signs of giving up on the annexation plan. Overnight, he posted a digitally altered photo of a White House meeting with European leaders, including von der Leyen, last year. In this new version, President Trump is seated next to a map depicting Greenland, Canada and Venezuela as U.S. territories.
In a series of posts, President Trump depicted himself planting an American flag over Greenland, which he described as a “territory of the United States established in 2026.”
These images further reflect what President Trump says:donro doctrine”, an agenda he has been promoting since the successful operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power earlier this month and shocked the entire world.
Trump later said the only principle guiding his foreign policy was “his own moral sense.”
In Davos, a picturesque Swiss city traditionally associated with multilateralism and laissez-faire economics, Ms. von der Leyen sought to counter President Trump’s coercive, unilateralist worldview with her vision of an independent Europe open to the world.
She praised recent free trade agreements. Signed with Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) are home to more than 700 million consumers, evidence that “a new Europe is emerging”.
“We are choosing fair trade over tariffs, partnership over isolation and sustainability over exploitation,” she said. “We are serious about de-risking the economy.”
Further trade agreements are in the works with Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and India, he added.
“Europe wants to do business with today’s growth centers and this century’s economic powers,” she said, to applause from the audience.
“From Latin America to the Indo-Pacific and beyond, Europe will always choose the world. And the world is ready to choose Europe.”
Ms von der Leyen went on to list a series of ongoing and upcoming initiatives to make the EU more attractive to investors, more agile in expanding business and deploying disruptive technologies, and more self-reliant in energy, security and defence.
At one point in her speech, she acknowledged that speaking of “European independence” was once met with skepticism and reservations, as the abstract concept was often associated with protectionism and isolation. But now, she said, the “unimaginable scale of change” the world has experienced is fostering a “real consensus” in support of the world.
“Europe must accelerate its efforts towards independence, from security to the economy, from defense to democracy,” he said. “The point is, the world has changed forever, and we need to change with it.”