Stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot be trusted” but only “deterred”, von der Leyen noted that the Kremlin was spending more on its military “than all of Europe combined”.
“We all wish we could live in more peaceful times. But I am confident that, if we unleash our industrial power, we can restore deterrence against those who seek to do us harm,” she said.
“It is time to build a European Defence Union that ensures peace on our continent through unity and strength.”
The commission plan also allows member states to repurpose so-called “cohesion” funds intended for the development of poorer European countries and lifts curbs on defence investments by the bloc’s lending arm, the European Investment Bank.
Discussions on how to increase the bloc’s military might are to continue at a summit in Brussels next week, with the commission to present a white paper ahead of time with further options to “substantially boost financing for European defence”.
“The European Council will continue to take work forward to build our deterrence, to strengthen the security of our continent,” Antonio Costa, who heads the body bringing together the 27 EU states, told lawmakers in Strasbourg.
