German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday that Europe is ready to fight, if necessary, for its basic values, which are freedom and democracy. He said this at the ceremony before the award of Karol the Great President of the European Commission Ursule von Der Leyen in Aachen, Germany. TASR reports this, according to the report of Reuters and DPA.
In his speech, Merz directly addressed US President Donald Trump’s administration. He recalled the speech of the American vice president of JD Vance of the Munich Security Conference in February, in which he sharply attacked Europe, criticized it for limiting freedom of speech, and declared that he faced an “internal threat”.
Answer to US Criticism
“At the beginning of the year in Munich, the US Vice President JD Vance confronted us in Munich with this question: What is what we Europeans are defending together? What is what we’re advocating together? Ladies and gentlemen, we don’t have any answer.
“We in Europe are behind what we have invented, created, achieved and fought together for centuries, despite countless failures and disasters.
Calls to preserve unity
King Filip VI also performed at the ceremony. and strongly rejected calls for the abolition of the European Union. He also warned against the rise of “dangerous and misguided voices” that promote a return to isolated national policy.
“We have to stand up to them! A dangerous and misleading voice that claims that Europeans will be free, more independent and sovereign if they live in separate national political communities and work independently to solve global statements,” he said. “The international environment requires more Europe. Now it is really time for Europe,” he added.
