The European Union wants to considerably expand its defense capacity. The EU committee presented specific plans to strengthen military cooperation, the production of armament and defensive finance in Brussels on Wednesday. The committee sees an urgent need for action, especially in the case of air defense, rocket defense, drone systems and electronic warfare.
The most important point of the strategy is the common European purchase of military goods and increased cooperation with third countries. To guarantee financing, the EU debt rules must be relaxed: up to 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) can be used for defense expenditure without procedures for shortage of shortage.
In its Weißbuch, the committee emphasized that Europe, given the geopolitical situation, “should be prepared for a confrontation with Russia”. Russia is now a “fundamental threat to Europe’s safety” and has a war economy. If Moscow is successful in Ukraine, his territorial ambitions could continue to grow.
Collect a common gun
To increase the willingness to defend, the EU trusts arms together. This should not only strengthen the European defense market, but also to improve military mobility within the Union. It is also planned to secure the external boundaries, especially Russia and Wit -Russia.
At the same time, the military support of Ukraine must be intensified, for example through extra munitary supplies. EU outside country representative Kaja Kallas emphasized that Ukraine plays an important role, because one could “learn a lot from Ukrainian experience on the battlefield”.
800 billion euros for Upgrade New Safe Fund
At the beginning of March, the EU State heads and the government had fundamentally welcomed the armament plans of the Commission. With the “Rewerm Europe Plan”, Member States must be able to accept new debts for Defense expenditure without risking sanctions.
Moreover, a new safe fund with a volume of 150 billion euros is planned, which offers cheap loans for defense investments. The funds are intended to help the EU countries to obtain urgently required systems, such as air and rocket defense, artillery, ammunition, drones and cyber defense.
The new regulation can be an advantage for Austria. At the beginning of the year, the country only escaped a shortage procedure and it could get more financial scope for defense expenditure due to the new exemptions.
Difficult relationship with the US
A sensitive subject remains dependent on the US. While earlier designs of the white book explicitly warned that Washington could control or limit military key components, the final version failed. The United States is increasingly shifting their security policy on other world regions, but the Transatlantic Alliance for Europe remains essential.
With the new measures, the EU uses a clear signal: the safety of Europe must of course no longer be considered. The “Time of the Peace Dividend” is over, emphasized the President Ursula von der Leyen. In the coming years, it will show whether the ambitious plans can be implemented – and how Member States respond to the new financial and strategic challenges.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
