"History will not forgive us for inaction"

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• The EU wants to invest historically high sums in armaments by 2030.
• Among other things, EU loans amounting to 150 billion euros are to be granted for armament projects and defense spending is to be exempted from the strict EU debt rules.
• According to the plan, a total of 800 billion euros are to be mobilized in the next four years alone.
• The background to the plans is that, according to the European Commission, the EU must immediately prepare for the possibility of a large-scale war with Russia

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The EU wants to rearm massively by the end of the decade. At their spring summit, the heads of state and government of the member states decided to do everything in their power to significantly strengthen Europe's defense readiness over the next five years, according to a declaration published in the evening. Among other things, work on the EU Commission's latest proposals is to be expedited.

The authority under the leadership of President Ursula von der Leyen wants to grant EU loans of 150 billion euros (around 144 billion Swiss francs) for armament projects and exempt defense spending from the strict EU debt rules. According to the plan, a total of 800 billion euros (around 770 billion Swiss francs) is to be mobilized over the next four years alone. There are also plans to relax requirements and regulations for the defense industry. The plans should also make it possible to provide even greater military support to Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia.

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Real possibility of a large-scale war

The background to the plans is that, according to the European Commission, the EU must immediately prepare for the possibility of a large-scale war with Russia. "History will not forgive us for inaction", warned the Commission in a strategy paper on the future of European defense presented shortly before the summit. If Russia achieves its goals in Ukraine, the country will extend its territorial ambitions beyond this. The year 2030 is mentioned as a possible timeframe for this.

Commitment to NATO

The situation is considered particularly dangerous because US President Donald Trump has announced that the nuclear superpower USA will no longer be unconditionally available as a guarantor of peace in Europe in future. However, the summit declaration makes it clear that the EU is nevertheless counting on the survival of NATO.

"The European Council recalls that a stronger and more capable European Union in the field of security and defense will make a positive contribution to global and transatlantic security and will complement NATO," the text states. For the 23 EU states that are also members of NATO, this remains the basis of their collective defense.

According to the European Commission, the EU must immediately prepare for the possibility of a large-scale war with Russia.

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/dpa (Symbolbild)

Outgoing Chancellor sees Germany on course

In Brussels, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pointed out that a huge new financial package for armaments is already being planned in Germany. It was a good sign that the Bundestag in Berlin had passed a very comprehensive constitutional amendment this week, he said. This will ensure funding for Germany's defense, cooperation in Europe and further aid for Ukraine.

The summit was overshadowed by Hungary's announcement that it would not accept any new EU decisions in favor of Ukraine. As at the special summit on March 6, it was therefore not possible to adopt a joint EU text.

The Hungarian government justifies its stance by stating that it supports the course of the new US President Donald Trump. He also wants to use pressure on Ukraine to force a ceasefire in the war that Russia started with its attack on the neighboring country in February 2022. However, the vast majority of EU states consider Trump's course to be wrong and dangerous. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called the approach at the summit terrible.

Discussion about new EU debt

Several countries also made it clear that the financial package put together by the Commission does not go far enough for them. Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for example, said that there should not only be a discussion about loans, but also a serious discussion about new, large-scale borrowing by the EU states, so-called Eurobonds. So far, this has only been done during the coronavirus pandemic to cushion the economic consequences.

However, countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Austria have so far categorically rejected a repeat. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in Brussels: "We are against Eurobonds. This is not new." Attention must be paid to financial stability.