“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has forced us to take bolder action, and we are making progress,” she said. “NATO defence plans are in place, so now we must turn our attention to collective defence investments. The next steps we take must include enhancing our stocks of equipment and weapons systems. We must also invest more in the defence sector.” The head of government added that further progress must also be made in the development of the integrated market for defence and the compatibility of standards so that defence readiness is ensured at all times. The European Commission will be presenting its European Defence Industrial Strategy in early 2024.
The European Defence Fund may be set to increase by 1.5 billion euros, but this is not enough: the Council has decided that the European Investment Bank must also play a greater role in guaranteeing financing opportunities in the sphere of defence. Estonia also backs the increased defence spending of Member States being taken into consideration in reviews of EU rules for national budgets when the European Commission assesses the budget deficit and debt level.
Prime Minister Kallas is attending the European Council meeting which began on Thursday and which is focusing on EU enlargement, continued support for Ukraine and the mid-term revision of the union’s long-term budget for the next four years.
