Kaja Kallas used her remarks at the Munich Security Conference to push back on a framing from the Trump administration that portrayed Europe as deteriorating in a way that threatens its cultural and political future. Speaking after the U.S. secretary of state’s comments at the same gathering, the EU foreign policy chief rejected the idea that Europe is undergoing “civilizational erasure,” saying the accusation was based on a negative depiction she disputed.
Kallas’ remarks came a day after Marco Rubio addressed European allies with what the Associated Press described as a more reassuring message than Vice President JD Vance delivered at the conference last year. While Rubio maintained a firm tone about Washington’s intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and pursue U.S. policy priorities, Kallas said the United States was leaning into what she called “European-bashing.”
She pointed to the U.S. national security strategy released in December, which said Europe’s economic stagnation is “eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure.” In the strategy, the decline was framed as connected to immigration policies, declining birth rates, “censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition,” and what it described as a “loss of national identities and self-confidence.”
Kallas told the conference: “Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure,” and she added, “In fact, people still want to join our club and not just fellow Europeans.” She said she was told during a visit to Canada last year that many people there have an interest in joining the EU. Kallas also said it was “very hard for me to believe these accusations,” adding, “We are, you know, pushing humanity forward, trying to defend human rights and all this, which is actually bringing also prosperity for people.”
In his speech at the conference, Rubio said an end to the trans-Atlantic era “is neither our goal nor our wish,” while adding, “our home may be in the Western hemisphere, but we will always be a child of Europe.” He also made clear that the Trump administration plans to stick to priorities on migration, trade and climate.
European officials who addressed the meeting emphasized that they would stand by their own values as they respond to those priorities. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for example, said Saturday that Europe must defend “the vibrant, free and diverse societies that we represent,” and argued that showing people who look different can live peacefully together makes the case “this isn’t against the tenor of our times.” Starmer said, “Rather, it is what makes us strong.”
Kallas said Rubio’s speech delivered an important message that the United States and Europe are and will remain intertwined. She acknowledged that there were issues on which Europe and Washington do not “see eye to eye,” but said, “I think we can work from there,” indicating that differences over policy direction would likely continue even as leaders sought to preserve alliance ties.
Figures and figures-related external indicators were not used in this article.