EU Aims for ‘Strategic Autonomy’ After CCP Virus Pandemic

European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen do an elbow bump at the end of a news conference following a 4-day European summit at the European Council in Brussels on July 21, 2020. Stephanie Lecocq/Pool via Reuters

The European Union is planning to build “strategic autonomy” in essential products in the wake of the CCP virus pandemic, European Council President Charles Michel said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Brussels Economic Forum, Michel said “strategic independence” was the EU’s “common project for this century.”