The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Tuesday 2030 has pointed out as a deadline for Europe to be able to defend itself militarily, counting on a “strong defense posture” and has pointed out that achieving the objective is to raise European arms production and that the European Commission applies simplification measures to reinforce the industrial base.
Within the framework of the debate on strengthening European defense and launching the military industry in the continent, Von der Leyen has affirmed in a speech from Denmark that by 2030 Europe the rearme process must have completed and have the industrial base to supply European needs in security.
“To be prepared for 2030, We have to move now. And that is where the EU comes into play, “said the community president. Although he has acknowledged that the Member States They will remain “always” responsible for their own troops, From the military doctrine to the deployment, and of the definition of the needs of its armed forces, in their opinion, it is necessary to take steps to European scale to ensure that Europe is militarily autonomous and achieve that reinforced defense position.
The community leader has insisted that Europe faces a fundamental election about its future. “Do we continue to react to each challenge gradually and cautiously? Are we willing to take this opportunity to build a safer Europe?” You must leave behind the idea that defense spending should increase in crisis times but reduce in peace times.
Thus he has lamented that the fall of the steel curtain and the Berlin wall led to investing little in defense and “To an excess of complacency.” “Our adversaries took advantage of that time not only to mobilize again, but also to challenge the rules that govern world security,” he argued.
Thus, the community president has stressed that the primary priority must be to raise military spending among EU countries and end the lack of European investment. “The expenditure in defense of Member States has increased more than 31% since 2021. It is better, but not enough. It is still much lower than that of the United States, Russia and China, “he warned.
In this sense, the measures proposed in his rearme plan, C has highlightedas the loans worth 150,000 million euros or the application of the exhaust clause for defense with which von der Leyen aims to mobilize 800,000 million for the military sector.
“Europe has structural weaknesses”
Likewise, it has set by 2030 as the maximum date to improve infrastructure through panel -lounge plans, ports and airports, so that they facilitate rapid transport of military troops and equipment but also for missiles, artillery systems and ammunition, in addition to drone systems.
As a vault key, the community president underlines the need to reinforce the European industrial base to supply the material and systems required by the new era of European rearmament. “Our industrial base still has structural weaknesses. It is not yet able to produce systems and defense teams in the amounts and with the speed that the Member States need, “he said.
In front of a fragmented European military sector, The head of the European Executive states that the 27 “must” buy European weapons and reinforce the industrial base in the continent “stimulating innovation, creating a market defense equipment market” and with multiannual orders to the industry to increase its production capacity.
In this context, It points to an eventual “defense buses” To simplify the rules and regulations in Europe, in the same way that Brussels has presented similar measures to reduce the scope of environmental norms, “from certification to existing contracts.”
