16 countries of the European Union have decided to request the activation of the "escape clause" provided for in the EU's plan to build up the necessary defence potential, which should facilitate the transition to the necessary higher defence spending at the national level, the Council of the EU reported on April 30, UNN writes.
Details
Referring to the conclusions of the European Council on European Defence of 6 March 2025, all Member States are said to be committed to building up the necessary defence potential in the EU.
The reformed EU economic governance structure allows Member States to "use flexibility where exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the Member State have a significant impact on the public finances of the Member State concerned, while ensuring fiscal sustainability in the medium term".
As stated by the European Commission in its communication of 19 March, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and its threat to European security are such exceptional circumstances and affect public finances, requiring a build-up of defence capabilities.
In this context, the Council has initiated a coordinated request to activate the national escape clause. Currently, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland have decided to request the activation of the clause.
In other cases, already planned capacity building is also continuing. The above does not prejudice the specificity of the security and defence policy of some Member States.
The clause covers a period of four years and a maximum of 1.5 per cent of GDP in flexibility. Member States remain committed to implementing the revised economic governance structure throughout the term of the clause.
The use of flexibility is said to facilitate the transition to necessary higher defence spending at national level in Member States, while ensuring debt sustainability. This is expected to "significantly contribute to strengthening the EU's security and protecting our citizens, while strengthening its overall defence readiness, reducing its strategic dependence, addressing its critical capability gaps and strengthening the European defence technological and industrial base across the Union".
Earlier
Brussels has presented a plan that it says could increase the bloc's military spending by €650 billion, as part of a broader €800 billion ReArm Europe package, which includes €150 billion in loans for joint procurement projects.