Brussels
The European Union plans a bigger global role for itself, one of its new chiefs emphasised on Friday as the bloc’s leadership started changing the guard to a team with firm geopolitical ambitions. The time has come for the EU to become more “confident, self-assured and assertive” on the world stage, notably by building common defence and security structures, said Charles Michel, taking over as the new European Council president. His pledge matches the ambition voiced by French President Emmanuel Macron, who argues Europe should have defence capabilities to match its economic heft. It also echoes the next head of the European Commission, former German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen, saying she wants to oversee a “geopolitical” EU executive. She takes charge from Sunday, succeeding Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.— AFP
