Source: European Commission (video statements)
"Since the start of the Middle East conflict, our bill for fossil fuel imports increased by €25 billion." – President von der Leyen
On 24 April 2026, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen held a press conference together with António Costa, President of the European Council and Nikos Christodoulides, President of Cyprus.
In her statement, President von der Leyen warned that the Middle East conflict has cost the EU €25 billion extra in fossil fuel imports, pushing for faster adoption of renewables, nuclear power, and electrification to secure energy independence. She announced the signing of the "One Europe, One Market" roadmap, to complete the Single Market by 2027, simplifying trade rules and boosting digital/AI growth, while stressing that the next EU budget must raise new revenues to fund defence, tech, and green transitions without cutting key programmes. Finally, she urged clearer EU defence cooperation, including a mutual defence mechanism and hybrid threat responses, to strengthen collective security.
For the full transcript of the statement, see here:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_26_882
Watch on the Audiovisual Portal of the European Commission:
https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-288330
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