Brussels, March 4 (LaPresse) – "It is clear that we are living in an era of crisis, and Europe is ready to massively increase its defense spending, both to respond to the urgent need for short-term action and to support Ukraine, and to address the long-term need to take greater responsibility for our European security." This was stated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, presenting the Rearm Europe plan. One of the proposals is "a new tool" that "will provide 150 billion dollars in loans to member states for defense investments," von der Leyen explained. "This is essentially about spending better and spending together. And we are talking about pan-European capability domains such as, for example, air and missile defense, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, drones, and anti-drone systems. But also to meet other needs, from cyber mobility to military mobility. For instance, this will help member states pool their demand and buy together. And of course, with this equipment, member states can significantly increase their support for Ukraine." Von der Leyen then emphasized that "this joint procurement approach will also reduce costs. It will reduce fragmentation, but increase interoperability, and of course, strengthen our defense industrial base, and can benefit Ukraine."
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