European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a truly independent Europe while in Aachen, Germany, where she received the Charlemagne Prize.
Even if this is "not a comfortable message" for some, von der Leyen said, "at its core, this is about our freedom." Personal freedom is only possible if there is collective independence, she said. That is why there is a need for a "Pax Europaea" for the 21st century, shaped and managed by Europe itself, von der Leyen added. Europe must therefore invest in its own security.
The 66-year-old Von der Leyen has been President of the European Commission since 2019. She is the first woman to lead the European Union's executive body. She was re-elected last year for a second five-year term.
The Charlemagne Prize is awarded annually to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to European unity. The award is named after Charlemagne (748-814), whose empire stretched across a large part of Western Europe in the Middle Ages.
The award has been presented every year since 1950. Previous recipients include Winston Churchill, Jacques Delors, Angela Merkel, Pope Francis and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Paul-Henri Spaak, Leo Tindemans and Herman Van Rompuy have also received the award.
