The European Commission also intends to present a strategy for a common EU arms policy within three weeks.
In the event of a second term, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to ensure that there is a separate defense commissioner in the Brussels authority. Von der Leyen said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference that which member state would provide this remains to be clarified. Von der Leyen is expected to run as the leading candidate of the conservative European People's Party in June's European elections.
Von der Leyen also announced that the European Commission would present a strategy for a common arms policy for the European Union within three weeks. The former German Defense Minister mentioned four points: Firstly, Europe simply needs to spend more money and secondly, resources need to be better used. There is a need for joint public procurement and framework agreements, also to improve the interoperability of systems in the EU. Thirdly, a European defense industry with good jobs must be specifically created, said the CDU politician, referring to the production of Patriot air defense systems. Fourth, the EU must carefully analyze what is needed in Ukraine in order to use resources in a targeted way. Russia is currently numerically superior and thousands of young people are being sacrificed. “We have to be smarter than Russia”, emphasizes von der Leyen. To this end, the European Commission will soon open a coordination office in Kiev. (APA/Portal)