EU must 'tear down barriers' to become 'global giant': von der Leyen
Europe must stop behaving like a loose collection of states and start acting like a "global giant," Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
- World
- AFP
- Published Date: 01:28 | 11 February 2026
The EU must "tear down" the economic barriers that prevent it from becoming a truly global giant, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday, ahead of leaders' talks on making the 27-nation bloc more competitive.
"Our companies need capital right now. So let's get it done this year," the commission president told EU lawmakers as she outlined key steps to bridging the gap with China and the United States.
"We have to make progress one way or the other to tear down the barriers that prevent us from being a true global giant," she said, calling the current system "fragmentation on steroids."
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