Shona Murray: Ursula von der Leyen backtracks on international rules statement

As president of the European Commission, part of Ms von der Leyen’s role is to be the guarantor of EU values, principles, and laws

'The actions of Ms von der Leyen in overreaching her mandate would not be as problematic if they weren’t so out of touch.' File picture

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, was this week forced to retreat from a foreign policy pivot read widely as burying international law.

Europe should act in the “world as it actually is today”, and not how we’d like it to be, she asserted.