European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has suggested EU decision-making processes may need to change drastically. Von der Leyen, the head of the EU’s powerful executive arm that proposes laws, said Europe could not continue to be a custodian for an “old world order” that would not return. Speaking on Monday, Von der Leyen questioned the EU’s policy of requiring the unanimous agreement of all 27 states to adopt a common position on foreign affairs. In her speech to EU ambassadors in Brussels, Von der Leyen said the war in Iran had become a “regional conflict with unintended consequences”. “The idea that we can simply retrench and withdraw from this chaotic world is simply a fallacy,” Von der Leyen said.

Source: The Irish Times March 09, 2026 17:39 UTC