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BERLIN -- BERLIN (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received the International Charlemagne Prize, an yearly grant for contributions to European unity, connected Thursday arsenic the 27-nation bloc confronts Russia's warfare against Ukraine, the Trump administration's commercialized warfare and information issues crossed the continent.
The European Union’s astir high-profile governmental figure, von der Leyen was called "the embodiment of the European spirit” by King Felipe VI of Spain during Thursday's ceremonial successful Aachen, Germany.
Last year, European Parliament lawmakers reelected her to a 2nd five-year term arsenic president of the EU's almighty enforcement arm.
The committee proposes authorities for the EU’s 27 subordinate countries — and its 450 cardinal radical — and ensures that the rules governing the world’s biggest trading bloc are respected. It’s made up of a College of Commissioners with a scope of portfolios akin to those of authorities ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, information and migration policy.
After coming to bureau successful 2019, von der Leyen led the EU thrust to unafraid COVID-19 vaccines and has been a large protagonist of Ukraine successful its warfare against Russia. With governments weakened successful France and Germany astatine the time, she sought to play a greater relation successful the bloc’s affairs.
The Spanish king and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who besides attended Thursday's ceremony, pushed for stronger European defence arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to propulsion backmost America's extortion commitments to the continent, upending the post-World War II order that has formed the ground for planetary stableness and security.
″A wide connection is coming retired of Washington: Europeans ought to bash much to supply for the defence of their ain continent," Felipe said. "We should not underestimate however consequential this connection is. There are fewer live contiguous that person lived successful a Europe wherever the U.S., the United States, was not the ascendant information provider.”
Merz, whose predetermination earlier this period was seen arsenic a reemergence of Germany's presumption arsenic a diplomatic and economical heavyweight, brought up U.S. Vice President JD Vance's comments astatine the Munich Security Conference earlier this year. Vance, “in his ain precise peculiar way," confronted what Europeans basal for, Merz said.
Vance astatine the clip complained astir the authorities of ideology and escaped code successful Europe, and lambasted German governmental parties — days earlier a nationalist predetermination — for their alleged “firewall” against moving with far-right parties.
"We really basal for what we person been capable to develop, to design, what we person really fought for during centuries -- and contempt galore backlashes and disasters -- that we really support what is beloved to america and important: state and democracy,” Merz said.
Both leaders, arsenic good arsenic von der Leyen, emphasized the value of responding to Trump's changing tariff policies with a azygous voice.
“We volition ne'er beryllium a protectionist continent,” von der Leyen said.
The International Charlemagne Prize was archetypal awarded successful 1950 successful Aachen. Charlemagne, considered the archetypal unifier of Europe, had his favourite palace successful the occidental German metropolis successful the precocious eighth century.
Aachen, connected the Dutch border, is besides celebrated arsenic the birthplace of teenage diarist Anne Frank's mother, Edith Holländer. She and Otto Frank joined successful Aachen's synagogue, which was destroyed during the Kristallnacht — oregon the “Night of Broken Glass” — successful 1938 successful which the Nazis terrorized Jews passim Germany and Austria.
The Frank household aboriginal near Germany upon Adolf Hitler’s emergence to powerfulness and yet went into hiding successful 1942 successful a concealed annex successful the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. They were aboriginal sent to attraction camps, wherever each but Otto Frank died.
Anne Frank’s world-famous diary was published aft the extremity of World War II.
In her code Thursday, von der Leyen spoke astir the Frank family, the synagogue and the city's value to Europe's past — and its future.
“Today successful Aachen, there's a caller synagogue,” von der Leyen said. “A awesome of rebirth, of resurrection, but besides of remembrance. A achy reminder for Europe to beryllium alert and withstand each those who sow hatred and privation to disagreement our society.”
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