Is the Defence Union emerging? European Parliament agrees with the militarization of Europe

The European Union can no longer take peace for granted, but must build a solid foundation on cooperation and strategic investment, declared Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in the plenary session of the European Parliament yesterday. The two and other European officials know that, in a world where the international order is shaken, where war has returned to the European continent and where geopolitical tensions are intensifying, Europe can no longer afford the luxury of waiting, the continent's security is no longer guaranteed by circumstance, without the need for a prior external investment strategy, which is favorable through a firm policy.

Antonio Costa stressed in his speech that Europe must act quickly and decisively to strengthen its defence. "Exactly three years ago, at Versailles, we decided to build a Europe of Defence. "We are now implementing this decision," he said, explaining that member states have already increased their defense spending by 30% and that NATO member states have reached the 2% of GDP threshold for defense.

The President of the European Council, however, showed that this effort is not enough and that, in order to meet current challenges, the European Union must invest in air and missile defense, in artillery and drone systems, in military mobility and in artificial intelligence applied to security. Moreover, defense can no longer be fragmented at national level, requiring many common, standardization and simplification of administrative processes, the senior European official added.

"Our objective is clear. Next week, the Commission and the High Representative will present the White Paper on Defense, and the European Council will continue to advance in this area," Costa said, emphasizing that the decisions taken now will define Europe's security for the coming decades.

Ursula von der Leyen reinforced this message, calling the current moment an existential challenge for Europe. "The European security order is shaken and many of our illusions have been shattered," she said, referring to the fact that, after the Cold War, Europe relied too much on US protection and drastically reduced defense spending.

• ReArm EU - the first step towards a Defense Union

The President of the European Commission said that this era of illusions is over and that Europe must allocate and invest massively. Ursula von der Leyen told MEPs that the EU executive proposed the ReArm Europe initiative, a plan that would mobilize up to 800 billion euros to strengthen European military capabilities. The program launched by the European Commission provides for:

- a national escape clause, which allows member states to exceed the 2% of GDP threshold for defense, with the possibility of reaching over 3% in the next four years, without this increase being included in the budget deficit;

- the creation of SAFE - a financial instrument through which the EU will provide 150 billion euros in loans for strategic measures, from air defense to cybersecurity;

- the common lot - a mechanism that allows member states to collaborate to obtain better prices and an efficient and rapid production of weapons.

Von der Leyen stressed that Europe can no longer allow its defense industry to be surpassed by the Russian military complex: "If we do not look at military spending in real terms, the Kremlin spends more than all of Europe put together. We must act quickly and decisively".

Antonio Costa drew attention to another key aspect: the relationship between security and economic competitiveness. "Defence and prosperity must go hand in hand", he said, stressing that the European defence industry is not only an essential element of security, but also a driver of economic growth.

He showed that by increasing investment in defence, Europe can stimulate innovation, create jobs and reduce dependence on external suppliers.

• European parties agree on rearmament, but in dispute over how to finance ReArm EU

EPP MEP Manfred Weber, president of the EPP, said that following Donald Trump's recent statements and the incident at the White House with the Ukrainian president, it had become clear "that we are now alone".

Manfred Weber demonstrated: "We need joint projects at EU level, such as anti-missile defence, anti-drone defence or a satellite system, we cannot depend on the US. I would like to see troops with the EU flag, but this is not yet in the plan. The task of our generation is to create a true defence union, and the EPP is ready to get to work. The European Defence Union serves to defend our democracy, an even more democratic legitimacy of the process is needed".

Iratxa Garcia Perez, President of the S&D Group (Alliance of Socialists and Democrats) said: "After Donald Trump arrived in the White House and got close to the criminal Vladimir Putin, it has become very clear that we can no longer depend on third parties to guarantee our security. This crisis offers us the opportunity to make a real leap forward towards the establishment of the European Defence Union. The ReArm EU plan is only a first step forward, but suspending fiscal rules with the hope that 650 billion euros will be attracted does not guarantee that we will have this amount, because not all states have the same fiscal strength. We believe that in order to rearm Europe we need a new instrument, which is the successor to NextGeneration EU. We need common debt and not national fragmentation regarding the implementation of defense projects. Then we must guarantee that defense investments are not made to the detriment of the well-being of our citizens, the standard of living in the European Union".

She asked the President of the European Commission to implement a legal mechanism to confiscate the 250 billion euros - representing frozen Russian assets in Europe, and that the money be used to arm Ukraine, to win the war.

Jordan Bardella, President of the Patriots for Europe group, said that Europe must first campaign for peace in Ukraine and then work so that the security and defense of the community bloc are no longer at the mercy of any third state, not even at the pleasure of the US.

• ECR wants rearmament plan to be called DefendEU

Nicola Procaccini, President of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group, said: "We would have liked more clarity on the sources of financing for the ReArm EU plan, on the long-term planning and on its insertion into the general framework of NATO. Considering ReArm EU as a kind of retaliation against Trump and the United States of America is a tragic mistake. Investing in defense and security is an act of dignity for our nations and of respect for our international allies. (...) It is unimaginable that European defense is detached from American allies and NATO, as some would like. (...) Let's not call it ReArm EU, but DefendEU. Because the peace and freedom we enjoy must be defended. And defense is not only achieved with weapons, but with strategic infrastructures, raw materials, communication systems, technological innovations."

Valerie Hayer, president of the Renew Europe group, spoke about the need to finance ReArm EU through the issuance of Eurobonds and about France's offer of a nuclear shield to deter any type of aggression against the security of the European continent.

The European Greens also supported the plan to rearm Europe and support Ukraine, calling for a real Defense Union, but without the derogatory clause to fiscal rules. They said that of the 800 billion euros, only 150 billion are European money, without a guarantee that 650 billion euros will be spent from national budgets. The Greens recalled that an efficient infrastructure is also needed to guarantee military mobility throughout the European Union.

Martin Schirderwan, head of the European Left political group, called for the abolition of NATO, the strengthening of the UN in the face of Donald Trump who chose to apply the law of the jungle in Ukraine, and the creation of a European defense structure.