Stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin “can’t be trusted” however solely “deterred”, von der Leyen famous that the Kremlin was spending extra on its army “than all of Europe mixed”.
“All of us want we may reside in additional peaceable occasions. However I’m assured that, if we unleash our industrial energy, we will restore deterrence towards those that search to do us hurt,” she mentioned.
“It’s time to construct a European Defence Union that ensures peace on our continent by way of unity and power.”
The fee plan additionally permits member states to repurpose so-called “cohesion” funds supposed for the event of poorer European international locations and lifts curbs on defence investments by the bloc’s lending arm, the European Funding Financial institution.
Discussions on easy methods to improve the bloc’s army may are to proceed at a summit in Brussels subsequent week, with the fee to current a white paper forward of time with additional choices to “considerably increase financing for European defence”.
“The European Council will proceed to take work ahead to construct our deterrence, to strengthen the safety of our continent,” Antonio Costa, who heads the physique bringing collectively the 27 EU states, instructed lawmakers in Strasbourg.
