EU’s von der Leyen urges bloc to ‘fight back’ against ‘ultranationalists’

By AFP and Reuters 16 September 2026, 10:39 am

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a press statement at EU headquarters in Brussels, September 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls for the 27-nation bloc to fight back against “the ultranationalists or the anti-Europeans” who want to undermine it.

The EU is dealing with “an openly hostile world,” she says. “A territorial war of aggression is raging on our continent; others have erupted nearby. A fight for industrial capacities is shaping global competition. And a battle of narratives is seeking to weaken confidence in Europe,” she says.

“Do we let our democracies be undermined by the proxies and puppets of authoritarians?” von der Leyen says in a keynote speech. “They despise our values, and they want to shatter our European unity. So let’s not only fight back against that, let’s fight together for our European idea.”