Get realpolitik? Von der Leyen questions Europe’s faith in rules-based order

The EU must become more realistic and interest-driven to keep up with the new world order, bloc chief says2-MIN READ2-MIN7 ListenPublished: 5:27pm, 9 Mar 2026The EU must decide whether the rules-based international order “is more a help or a hindrance to our credibility as a geopolitical actor”, the bloc’s top official said on Monday, in the strongest sign yet that it might break from decades of rigid adherence to global norms.In a speech to the European Union’s ambassadors, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her most forceful rhetoric to date to call time on the old system, urging the diplomats to quickly update their thinking or be left behind.“Europe can no longer be a custodian for the old world order, for a world that has gone and will not return,” von der Leyen said.“We will always defend and uphold the rules-based system that we helped to build with our allies, but we can no longer rely on it as the only way to defend our interests or assume its rules will shelter us from the complex threats that we face.”00:47US-Israeli strikes hit oil storage facility in TehranUS-Israeli strikes hit oil storage facility in TehranThe call comes as war rages in the Middle East, triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran that were broadly seen as a breach of international rules.Von der Leyen did not condemn the attacks in her speech, instead saying “there should be no tears shed for the Iranian regime” and speaking of an “existential” and “precarious” moment for Europe.