DISINFO: Von der Leyen acknowledges the collapse of the EU’s economic model
SUMMARY
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU's economic model has collapsed, as the factors driving the European economy's advantage have disappeared: “For a long time, the European economic model was based on a few obvious assumptions. Cheap imported energy. Open world trade. Growing access to the Chinese market. Strategic American protection. And Western technological progress. These have disappeared.” The speech was in effect a eulogy for the EU and an admission of the project's failure.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that the EU is on the verge of collapse. It was said in a comment on Ursula von der Leyen’s speech at the annual conference ‘La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France 2026.’
This claim is contradicted by the rest of von der Leyen’s speech. After saying that Europe's old growth model had changed, she called for launching a new phase of the European growth model, not abandoning it: “Mario Draghi paved the way. And following in his footsteps, our aim is clear: to make Europe a continent that produces, invests and protects.”
She also identified the factors that would drive future European growth: "In the short term, we need to give you back space to invest. And, in the longer term, to make innovation, productivity and scaling-up the sustainable drivers of European growth."
Rather than portraying the EU as a failed project, she highlighted its competitive strengths: "A market of 450 million consumers. World-class businesses. A highly skilled workforce. A research sector that still accounts for 20% of global expenditure on R&D. A high level of savings. ... Rule of law. Predictability. Strong democracies. Freedom of research. The freedom to create, contest and innovate. That is our identity. And it is also our strength."
She further stated that openness remains an economic advantage, not a sign of decline: “In a more fragmented world, openness is a means of strength. Our trade agreements open up markets for our businesses. …An independent Europe is not an isolated Europe. It is a Europe that can choose."
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