‘ WOKE EUROPE NOT FACING CIVILICATIONAL ERASURE‘ SAYS EU’s KALLAS AFTER RUBIO’s MUNICH SPEECH
By Guardian - Jakub Krupa- Sun 15 Feb 2026 11.37 GMT
'Contrary to what some say, woke decadent Europe is not facing civilisational erasure,' EU's Kallas says. EU’s foreign policy chief says many countries still ‘want to join our club’
EU’s Kallas is speaking on the main stage now.
In her first response to Rubio’s speech yesterday, she somewhat snarkily says that “contrary to what some may say woke decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure,” and says that many countries still “want to join our club – and not just fellow Europeans,” pointing to Canada.
She says that Russia continues to pose a significant challenge.
“This starts in Ukraine, but we know that Russia’s endgame is not Donbas,” she says, pointing to continuing attempts to sabotage or undermine EU countries.
She continues:
“But let’s be clear-eyed about Russia: Russia is no superpower. After more than a decade of a conflict, including 4 years of full-scale war in Ukraine. Russia has barely advanced beyond the 2014 lines, and the cost? 1.2 million casualties.
Today, Russia is broken, its economy is in shreds. It is disconnected from the European energy markets and its own citizens are fleeing.
In fact, the greatest threat Russia presents right now is that it gains more at the negotiation table, then it has achieved on the battlefield.”
Ex Nato secretary general Stoltenberg also briefly comes in on Greenland in the context of managing differences between Europe and the US.
He says:
“As friends and as allies, we have to be very clear when some core values are threatened or challenged.
For instance, on Greenland, many European countries and Norway said very clearly it is unacceptable to claim the territory of another country, and we said that to our strongest ally. I think that was the right thing to do.
Sometimes we have to be very clear, especially when these core values are challenged; but it’s not all about clarity and [simply] saying what we think, but it’s also about finding a way to address the problem.
The good news now is that we are in a better place now than we just were a few weeks ago because now there is actually an ongoing process between Greenland and Denmark and the United States to address the issues that have been raised and hopefully we’ll find a way to sort it out and continue to be together in this big transatlantic family.”
Brantner also talks about how the EU can benefit from what’s happening in the US as some scientists seek to relocate to Europe.
Responding to a question from an American member of the audience, she says:
“I am very happy we have a lot of American scientists coming to my home town, for example, Heidelberg, and helping us to work on Alzheimer and many things, because you have a health minister who believes in no science.
It will strengthen Europe, if I may say so, [even though] it’s a pity for the US.”
Alliance 90/Greens co-chair Franziska Brantner gets a round of applause as she says in response to a question from a Ukrainian MP:
“First of all, allow me to say that I want to thank all Ukrainians who are fighting for their freedom, but also for our freedom.”
Others on the panel chip in with their thanks, too.
11.25 GMT - Jakub Krupa in Munich
Okay, now Andrej says we need to defend free and independent press, “even if they are a bit annoying.”
We are friends again.
11.24 GMT -Jakub Krupa in Munich
Plenković says no young people buy papers any more, maybe except for sport newspapers, and now I feel kind of personally offended.
Try the Guardian, Andrej!
10 years on, Europe still lives through consequences of migrant crisis, Croatian PM says
Speaking on values, Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenković says that “the most important political event that somehow swept across Europe happened 10 years ago, and that was the unprecedented migration crisis.”
“The 2015-2016 migration crisis changed political scenery across Europe.
It had an impact on every single member state – in some of them faster, in some of them maybe with a sort of delayed effect – but it had an impact on strengthening the political parties who were, let’s say, on the [extreme ends] of the political spectrum [and] the mainstream parties had to react, everybody gradually became more restrictive vis a vis migration.”
He says:
“I think we are still in the age where we are living on a daily basis, the consequences of that event, including in the country where we are today.”
Stoltenberg also says that “the most urgent challenge to the values of freedom and democracy is what we see now on the frontlines in Ukraine.”
“There’s no doubt that that that Ukraine has to prevail; military support to Ukraine is so obviously the right thing to do for everyone that believes in democracy and freedom.”
But he says he is open to a broader discussion on inconsistencies in how countries respond to global events, potentially muddling the understanding of their values.
“I think that one of the challenges we have seen is, for instance, the conflict in the Middle East compared to Ukraine.
There are huge differences, but it is about sovereignty and respecting international law and therefore my own country Norway, we have been very clear … in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and supporting Ukraine, but we’ve also been very clear that Israel is responsible for illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
Again, two very different situations, but it undermines our credibility that we believe in these values if we are not clear when international law is violated regardless of where it is, why and by whom. …
I think that of course any double standard weakens the credibility of our values and we need to be honest about ourselves because I think we all have demonstrated that we are not always consistent, also my own country.”
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Jakub Krupa
