During a conference in Tallinn on Monday 30 January, EPP group chairman Manfred Weber called for a stronger European defence.
He called for more money for defence at European level and was supported by Estonian MEP Riho Terras, who said that “we need to strengthen capabilities by increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP”. He also called for a larger budget for the European Defence Fund. “We need to invest more and find ways to encourage industries to work together”, summarised the Estonian MEP.
For Mr Weber, it is necessary to find ways of making defence more effective at European level. He regretted, for example, that Poland was buying its new tanks from South Korea. “How can we build a European market for military products, to be stronger, more competitive in this field?”, he asked.
He called on the European Commission to propose to develop common standards for the production and export of arms and ammunition. “On this basis, we can build real military capabilities - from European cyberspace to missile defence systems”, he explained.
Mr Weber mentioned that each country had its own rules for exporting military goods, which hindered “joint investments, joint activities and joint arms production”. “On this point, we need more action”, he warned, regretting that he did not “see the necessary speed” to make the necessary progress in this area.
With the European elections coming up in spring 2024, Weber hoped that on that occasion the EPP, which he described as “ Europe’s security and defence party”, would be able to present European citizens with a “good plan for establishing a new security architecture for Europe that works, after the Ukrainian victory”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)