At its meeting on Thursday, the European Council called for the adoption of decisions necessary for the establishment of a joint procurement of weapons within the framework of the European Union, as well as strengthening the sphere of defense in the light of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
This is stated in the published conclusions of the EU summit.
It states that "the European Union assumes great responsibility for its own security, and in the defense sphere adheres to a strategic course of action and increases its ability to act autonomously."
At the same time, the EU leaders note that, taking into account the previous conclusions, work on strengthening the bloc's defense sphere must be accelerated.
In particular, they call on the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to adopt the law on strengthening the defense industry through joint procurement (EDIRPA) as soon as possible, and the European Commission and the European Defense Agency to "intensify the current efforts to identify needs and to promote and coordinate joint procurement, in particular for replenishment of stocks , especially in light of the support given to Ukraine."
The Eurocouncil also called on the EU executive body "to submit a proposal for the European Defense Investment Program as soon as possible" to strengthen the potential of the European defense technological and industrial sector and to accelerate the implementation of military mobility infrastructure projects.
Separately, the conclusions of the EU summit mention the need to invest in strategic tools, in particular cyber security, space communication and the security of critical infrastructure, as well as to strengthen the EU policy in the field of cyber defense and countering hybrid threats.
The need to strengthen the defense sector in the EU has been talked about since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In October, the head of the European Commission's Directorate General for Defense, Industry and Space, Timo Pesonen, argued that EU countries have neglected defense investments for too long. According to him, while investments in the EU have increased by 22% over 20 years, they have increased by 66% in the US, by almost 300% in Russia, and by more than 600% in China.