Ursula von der Leyen addresses shifts in EU economic model

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has addressed the decline of the European Union’s traditional economic model. During a speech in Paris at the annual conference of the French business federation, she noted that the assumptions previously supporting the EU economy have disappeared.

Von der Leyen identified several factors contributing to this shift, including the loss of cheap imported energy, changes in open world trade, reduced access to the Chinese market, and the absence of strategic American protection, alongside shifts in Western technological progress. She highlighted six specific challenges facing the bloc, including competitive disadvantages and regulatory burdens affecting European companies in global markets.