The European Union must expand its defense industry base, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.
We need to be much better at defensive production. In three weeks the European Commission will present its strategy for the defense industry
– Von der Leyen announced.
Four pillars of the new strategy
As she revealed, the strategy will consist of four pillars.
First of all, we need to spend more. If we look at the figures – an increase of 20 percent compared to last year – that is (already happening). But it’s still not enough
– said the President of the Commission.
Second, we need to spend better. Shop more together, scale up, increase the pace
— she stated, while noting that joint procurement is important for the interoperability of the armed forces.
The third element of the announced strategy concerns defense spending in the EU.
We invest billions of European taxpayers. We therefore want a return on investments in the form of good jobs in Europe. I’m not talking about European companies. A good example is the production of Patriot missiles that we have in Europe
– explained Von der Leyen.
““Ukraine is doing something very smart.”
The fourth pillar is the inclusion of Ukraine in the EU’s defense programmes.
We learn a lot from what happens on the battlefields in Ukraine. Russia is trying to crush Ukraine with scale and mass. They rush into battle and sacrifice thousands of young people. They use dirty weapons that are quickly produced in North Korea and Iran. We have to outsmart them
– took note of the Head of the Commission.
Ukraine is doing something very smart: it is taking our weapon systems and enhancing them with artificial intelligence to make them more precise and accurate. The development of drone production is also fascinating
– said the head of the European Commission.
We will include Ukraine in our defense programs. We will open a defense innovation office in Kiev together with the Ukrainians
– announced Ursula von der Leyen.
She also added that if she were to remain president of the European Commission for the next term, she would create the office of EU Commissioner for Defense.
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yes/DAD
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.