Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, von der Leyen said Europe faced “the very distinct threat of outside forces trying to weaken our union from within”, alongside intensifying global rivalry affecting everything from territory to technology regulation.
“Fundamentally, all of this points to a simple reality in today’s fractured world, Europe must become more independent. There is no other choice,” she said, stressing that independence must cover defence, energy, trade, raw materials and digital technology.
Von der Leyen rejected suggestions that stronger European autonomy could weaken transatlantic ties, saying “an independent Europe is a strong Europe, and a strong Europe makes for a stronger transatlantic alliance.”
Highlighting the bloc’s defence efforts since Russia’s war on Ukraine, she said European military spending in 2025 rose nearly 80% compared with prewar levels.
“The time has come to bring Europe’s mutual defence clause to life,” she said, describing collective defence under Article 42.7 of the EU treaty as “not an optional task” but a binding commitment.
Von der Leyen called for faster decision-making on security matters, suggesting the EU may increasingly rely on qualified majority voting rather than unanimity to accelerate action.
She also urged closer cooperation with partners outside the bloc, particularly the UK, saying that “10 years from Brexit, our futures are as bound as ever,” and calling for deeper coordination on security, democracy, and economic resilience.
Drawing lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield experience, she stressed that industrial capacity and innovation were decisive factors in modern warfare, noting that drones now account for “around 80% of battlefield damages on both sides”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attends a trilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Freidrich Merz at the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany, February 13, 2026.PHOTO: REUTERS
Europe must therefore strengthen defence production and dual-use technologies such as artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, she said.
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“Some ask whether we can afford this, but I say we cannot afford not to,” von der Leyen added, arguing that investment in defence was essential to safeguard “peace and freedom”.
More European NATO: Starmer
The British prime minister said Europe must focus on decreasing “some dependencies” and called for creating a “more European NATO”.
“We must move forward together to create a more European NATO,” Keir Starmer said at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, adding that Europe should focus on “diversifying and decreasing some dependencies”.
Defining Europe as a “sleeping giant”, he said European economies dwarfed Russia’s more than 10 times over, as Europeans had “huge defence capabilities”.
“If necessary, we must be ready to fight, to do whatever it takes to protect our people, our values and our way of life,” he added.
Starmer also noted that the UK is not “the Britain of the Brexit years anymore”.
“There is no British security without Europe, and no European security without Britain. That is the lesson of history — and it is today’s reality too,” he said.
The prime minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to collective security clause Article 5, which is “as profound now as ever” and that if called on, the UK would come to aid.
Starmer also announced that the UK would deploy its carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the High North this year, “in a powerful show of our commitment to Euro Atlantic security”.
“We want to bring our leadership in defence tech and AI together with Europe to multiply our strengths and build a shared industrial base across our continent, which can turbocharge our defence production,” he added.
Saying that this required leadership to drive greater coherence and coordination across Europe, Starmer said that is what they were doing with Germany and France in the E3, working closely with EU partners, particularly Italy and Poland, as well as with Norway, Canada and Türkiye.