3 May 2026 22:00 UTC · European Commission · EU Commission Press Release · Source · Email X Link

European Commission says von der Leyen outlines independence priorities

Key points

Reduce overdependencies in energy, defence, and supply chains
Increase renewables and nuclear; scale up military production; deepen trade ties

TL;DR

President von der Leyen in Yerevan urges Europe to reduce overdependencies by boosting domestic renewable and nuclear energy, strengthening military capabilities, and securing reliable supply chains through partnerships and free trade.
She cites free trade agreements with Latin America, India, Australia, and a planned visit to Mexico, and notes Europe has the largest network of free trade agreements.

Original text

European Commission - Statement Doorstep by President von der Leyen ahead of the meeting of the European Political Community Yerevan, 4 May 2026 I am very glad to be here in Armenia. It is the eighth EPC. We will mainly discuss the topic of an independent Europe. We have to reduce our overdependencies in specifically three areas. The first is energy. We are too overdependent on imported fossil fuels and therefore always dependent on volatile global markets. We have to increase our assets at home in Europe. These are the renewable energies and nuclear energy because they are homegrown, they are cheaper, and they are reliable. The second topic where we need more independence is defence and security. We have to step up our military capabilities to be able to defend and protect ourselves. There is a vast amount of money that is available for investments. We now really have to step up and speed up the production process for military capabilities. And the third element is reliable supply chains. For that, we are reaching out to like-minded countries We have free trade agreements. We just concluded one with Latin America, but also with India, Australia and I will go to Mexico. Because with like-minded friends, you who have stable, reliable supply chains. And Europe has the biggest network of free trade agreements. STATEMENT/26/944 Press contacts: Paula PINHO (+32 2 29 20815) Arianna PODESTA (+32 2 298 70 24) Olof GILL (+32 2 29 65966) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email Related media 8th Meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia

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Entities

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President Von Der Leyen

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Yerevan