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Politico (11 March 2026)

Sebastian STARCEVIC

Blowback grows against European Commission president over speech that triggered criticism from a top member of her own team.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faced a grilling from European Parliament lawmakers on Wednesday as backlash builds over her insistence that the EU must get stronger and be less consensus-based to survive as conflicts rage from Ukraine to Iran.

The Commission chief drew criticism earlier this week, including from within her own team of commissioners, after giving a speech to EU ambassadors warning Europe must take “a clear-eyed and hard look” at its place in the world and how it makes decisions.

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