European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament today that in just ten days of conflict in the Middle East, fossil fuel imports have cost the EU an additional €3 billion, a stark reminder that energy vulnerability carries a real economic and strategic cost.
Von der Leyen condemned decades of repression under Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei, highlighting the brutal crackdown on recent protests and the regime’s long history of sponsoring terrorism and supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. She stressed that Europe must protect its citizens, maintain its long-term energy strategy, and resist calls to return to Russian fossil fuels, while continuing to diversify through renewables and nuclear energy.
She stressed that Europe has homegrown energy sources ,renewables and nuclear , whose prices have remained stable over the same period, and warned that abandoning the long-term strategy in favour of Russian fossil fuels would be a “strategic blunder,” making Europe more dependent, vulnerable, and weaker.
Von der Leyen acknowledged the pressures facing households and businesses and outlined a comprehensive approach to reducing energy bills calling for smarter use of market instruments, subsidies or price caps, improving grid efficiency to better integrate renewables while addressing national disparities in electricity taxation.
She defended the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) as essential to reduce gas consumption and dependence, while modernising it to better reflect current realities. This remains controversial, however, with some countries, including Malta, warning that the ETS has negatively impacted certain sectors, particularly the maritime industry.
In the Parliament debate, EPP MEPs called for Europe to strengthen its defence capabilities, urging robust air, missile and anti-drone systems, closer cooperation with Ukraine and a unified European defence market. EPP MEPs highlighted the need for joint procurement, integrated defence projects and faster innovation cycles to counter hybrid, cyber, and conventional threats.
The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Group echoed the urgency of preparing Europe for modern warfare, advocating a common strategy integrating command, control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. They stressed technological development, NATO collaboration, and a coordinated European defence ecosystem that protects citizens while boosting innovation and jobs.
However, Socialists MEPs sought to distance themselves from the US intervention.
Spanish MEP Iratxe Garcia Perez, who leads the Socialists in Parliament, acknowledged that no democrat mourns the dictatorship of the ayatollahs, a regime that has brutally repressed its people, especially women, and destabilized the entire region. She argued that the military attack by the United States and Israel against Iran violates the Charter of the United Nations.
“If we accept that great powers can bomb whenever they want, then international law ceases to exist and we return to the law of the jungle”, she insisted.
Labour MEP says Europe should act with caution and intelligence
Labour MEP Daniel Attard said today that condemning one injustice, such as Israel’s actions in Gaza, should not blind Europe to the suffering of Iranians. Writing in today’s Maltatoday, Attard noted that recent protests in Iran, met with brutal crackdowns, reflect a deep and widespread dissatisfaction with the regime, and that many young Iranians continue to aspire to freedom, dignity, and a modern future.
Attard also underlined the fundamental dilemma facing the international community: there is no clear mechanism under international law to remove entrenched authoritarian leaders like Ayatollah Khamenei. While the world recognises injustice, it often lacks both the authority and the political will to intervene, leaving democracies to navigate a painful paradox between moral responsibility and legal limitations.
He further stressed the complexity of modern geopolitics, where historical grievances, strategic interests, and human suffering are intertwined. Attard argued that political decisions, such as whether to join the United States in military action, carry enormous and often unpredictable consequences, highlighting the need for Europe to act with caution, intelligence, and recognition of the full complexity of the situation.
