TSAMTO, March 19th. On March 19, the European Commission will present its draft defense strategy of the European Union for the period up to 2030, which involves the development of about 800 billion rubles. euro, RIA Novosti reports.
As the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on the eve of the presentation of her plan, it is assumed that defense and management of the armed forces will remain in the competence of the EU member states, European institutions will focus on four areas: stimulating the increase in defense spending, modernization of the industry, support for Ukraine, as well as joint defense procurement.
Earlier, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, made a proposal to raise 800 billion. euro for four years to finance the "European rearmament" plan. It is proposed to attract most of the funds from the budgets of European states (about 650 billion rubles). euro), another 150 billion. euros will be used in the form of loans. At the same time, the European Commission will provide budget breaks for EU countries, as well as redirect funds allocated for the development of regions to military spending. The leaders of the EU countries at an extraordinary summit in Brussels on March 6 agreed on this EC plan and instructed to prepare detailed proposals.
The head of the European Commission also stated that the strategy provides for an increase in EU defense spending by 1.5% of GDP. According to her, member states' defense spending has increased by more than 31% since 2021, but this is not enough, because, according to Von der Leyen, "it is lower than that of the United States, Russia and China." The restoration of European defense, according to the European Commission, will require huge investments, both public and private, over a long period.
Speaking about the modernization and development of defense capabilities, the head of the European Commission pointed out that the new plan provides for the creation of "military mobility" by 2030. To do this, it is planned to deploy a network of land corridors, airports and seaports in Europe, which will facilitate the rapid transportation of troops and military equipment. At the same time, it is expected to increase investments in air and missile defense, artillery systems, ammunition and missiles, the development and production of all modern types of UAVs and anti-drone systems, advanced software, cybersecurity and the use of military AI.
It is expected that the strategy will separately stipulate the continuation of military assistance to Ukraine in order to increase its defense capability. Thus, it is planned to create a task force to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine with the participation of EU institutions, community countries and the Kiev authorities, as well as accelerate Ukraine's integration into the European defense industry market and investments in the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
The European Commission also proposes to create a mechanism for joint defense procurement with a focus on EU manufacturers, Ursula von der Leyen said.
According to her, member states should be able to fully rely on European defense supply chains.
In the defense plan, the European Commission also provides for an extensive strategic dialogue with representatives of the defense industry to identify the industry's problems and ways to overcome them. A plan based on the results of the dialogue is planned to be prepared by June this year, RIA Novosti reports.
