EU wants to accelerate the build-up of weapons stockpiles by 2030 instead of 2044
Kyiv • UNN
The European Commissioner for Defense urged NATO countries to increase their weapons stockpiles faster. The EU is preparing an “industrial production plan” and will consider using frozen Russian assets for financing.
NATO countries must increase their weapons stockpiles faster, European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius said on Wednesday, promising that the EU would support this goal with money, UNN reports with reference to Euractiv.
Details
According to the newspaper, "to prepare for a new war, the NATO alliance has increased the stockpile targets that each member state must meet. Although they are not mandatory, as stated, it is expected that all will be ready to collectively defend the alliance in the event of a possible conflict.
But Europe should achieve these increased targets "no later than 2030, not 2044 as planned," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said at the annual conference of the European Defense Agency.
"NATO and member states assess military needs and set targets, and the European Union will support," Kubilius said.
Achieving this goal within a shorter timeframe, as noted, will require even more defense spending at a time when national budgets are already strained and procurement priorities vary across the continent.
The industry has long required goals and long-term planning to justify its investments in new production lines and supply chains, the publication points out.
In an effort to respond to these concerns, the EU will put forward the "industrial production plan" that Kubilius presented in the fall as part of a defense white paper scheduled for March. EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas confirmed on Tuesday that such a plan would be prepared.
"We need to combine what we know about our capability gaps and how much we lack with what our industries can produce," Callas said. - "Then we can see how best to help our industry do that and work with our allies where we can't do it alone.
This is likely to encourage the EU to jointly procure larger orders, which they hope will make them more attractive to the industry, the publication points out.
It is unclear what exactly will be implemented under the plan, as the prospect of EU funding plans based on NATO goals raises questions about the role of the bloc's neutral non-NATO countries: Austria, Cyprus, Ireland and Malta, the newspaper writes.
The EU, as noted, already promotes joint procurement, albeit on a smaller scale, of ammunition, missiles, air defense equipment, and vehicles with common funding.
Kubilius also said on Tuesday that Europe should work on a list of large and expensive projects of common interest: an air defense shield, a cyber shield, a northeastern border defense shield, military mobility and a space shield.
In addition to this significant financial commitment, NATO members plan to make even higher commitments to defense spending by the summer, Reuters reports.
While Russia spends 9% of its GDP on defense, Europeans and other members of the NATO military alliance are questioning whether they want to increase their contributions to 5% in the coming decades, the newspaper writes.
Some countries, such as Poland or Lithuania, would be happy to do so, but most European countries are reportedly "still skeptical about setting a hard target.
"We will discuss a new goal of 3% of GDP, which will have to be achieved over a long period of time, perhaps ten years," one European diplomat told Euractiv.
"EU leaders are due to meet on February 3 to discuss how to finance their defense needs," the article says.
Negotiations on funding between EU leaders, as the newspaper notes, "will be difficult." Kallas reiterated on Tuesday that she is ready to explore the possibility of "doing more" with the more than €200 billion in frozen Russian assets, although member states remain cautious.
