European defence sector needs access to ‘significant’ funding, says Dutch minister – Europe live
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The Dutch defence minister, Kajsa Ollongren, said this morning that “we have to unlock the potential of the European defence industry.”
We must learn lessons from the war in Ukraine and invest in the security of Europeans, fight fragmentation by joint arms procurement and promote cross-border production. The defence sector must have access to significant public and private finance and investment.
She also reiterated a call for the creation of a dedicate defence commissioner in the next European Commission.
The European Defence Industrial Strategy marks an important step in bolstering our European defence. We have to unlock the potential of the European defence industry. Therefore, I reiterate my call for a full-fledged Commissioner on Defence, to make Europe stronger and safer. pic.twitter.com/FhzGV6KPB3
The European Commission is set to present today its new European Defence Industrial Strategy.
The move comes at a time when Ukraine is experiencing a serious ammunition shortage, and as European countries grapple with the question of what Donald Trump’s possible return to the White House could mean for both Kyiv and transatlantic security commitments.
But while for the most part there is agreement in Europe that it needs to step up on defence, and that defence production needs to urgently be ramped up, there are still divergences in views on how to get there – and in particular on how to fund new defence efforts.
The strategy unveiled today is thus expected to be one milestone in a long policy debate.
Estonia, France and Poland have issued a call for “urgently” increasing Europe’s defence readiness.
In a document seen by the Guardian, the three countries outlined their priorities for the new European Defence Industrial Strategy.
“We must ensure that the ambition of the Strategy is proportionate and backed by concrete actions that support our combat capability,” they said, adding: “we are in a race against time.”
The three countries said the strategy should aim to:
• Improve the long-term capacity of EU defence industry to provide for the needs of our armed forces, reduce strategic dependencies, and enhance the ability to scale up production quickly in times of crises;
• Support a fundamental increase in Member States’ levels of battle-decisive munition stocks, availability of key weapon systems and other capabilities across domains;
• Enhance the EU’s and its Member States’ competitive edge in (military and dual-use) technology and innovation, including by removing bottlenecks, securing supply chains, and improving access to growth finance;
• Strengthen cooperation with and encourage Ukraine’s participation in its defence industrial initiatives.
They also warned about the need for sufficient funding to go with ambitious goals.
We call upon the Commission to present concrete funding options, especially for the period leading up to the next [long-term EU budget]. Inadequate funding now will only mean higher expenditure at a later date.
The Dutch defence minister, Kajsa Ollongren, said this morning that “we have to unlock the potential of the European defence industry.”
We must learn lessons from the war in Ukraine and invest in the security of Europeans, fight fragmentation by joint arms procurement and promote cross-border production. The defence sector must have access to significant public and private finance and investment.
She also reiterated a call for the creation of a dedicate defence commissioner in the next European Commission.
The European Defence Industrial Strategy marks an important step in bolstering our European defence. We have to unlock the potential of the European defence industry. Therefore, I reiterate my call for a full-fledged Commissioner on Defence, to make Europe stronger and safer. pic.twitter.com/FhzGV6KPB3