In a speech at the GLOBSEC Conference, the President of the European Commission outlined the main axes of European defence in the coming years.
Europe must do even more for its defence.
This is essentially what he said Ursula von der Leyen in a speech to Prague on the occasion of the international conference on security. (GLOBSEC)
She believes that the EU has not sufficiently boosted its arms production in the face of threats, particularly those linked to the war between Russia and Ukraine, which is taking place on its doorstep.
“We Europeans must be on our guard. We must refocus our attention on the security dimension of everything we do. We must consider that our union is intrinsically a security project and that Central Europe has a crucial role to play.” she said.
European Defence Commissioner to be appointed this autumn
The President of the European Commission also said that a systematic overhaul of defence in Europe was necessary, “because the European Union is developing a defence production the size of a continent.”
“Protecting Europe is above all Europe’s duty“, she said, adding that if NATO is to remain the centre of defence, a stronger European pillar is needed.
In this, Central Europe will play a key role in the establishment of this new defence.
And this is why a full European Commissioner for Defence will be appointed to the next Commission in the autumn, a first in EU history.
