In light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission will put up proposals on Tuesday, March 5, to strengthen the European Union's arms sector and enter "war economy mode."
Officials from the EU have announced that Thierry Breton, the commissioner for industry, would present plans to boost manufacturing capacity at European businesses and to persuade EU member states to purchase more weapons collectively.
"We need to change the paradigm and move into war economy mode. This also means that the European defence industry must take more risks, with our support," Breton warned, as reported by Reuters.
Extra Precautions
According to Breton, a former CEO of a French computer business, Europe has to take additional measures to safeguard itself in considering the likelihood of another term for Donald Trump as president of the United States, who has cast doubt on Washington's dedication to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Numerous European nations have boosted their defense budgets in the face of Russia's aggression in Ukraine. However, EU officials contend that national-only initiatives are ineffective. They also advocate for a stronger role for EU agencies in defense industrial strategy.
According to experts, the war illustrated how unprepared European industry was for certain major challenges, such as the unexpectedly high need for massive quantities of artillery ammunition.
Proposed Ideas
One of Breton's ideas is replicating the US Foreign Military Sales program in Europe. This program allows the US to encourage other governments to purchase weapons from American manufacturers.
In a separate proposal, the EU might mandate that, during emergencies, European weapons manufacturers give priority to European orders.
All 27 member states of the EU, as well as the European Parliament, must approve the plans for them to be implemented.
NATO will carefully examine the plans. The transatlantic organization has expressed its approval of EU initiatives to bolster European defense but has cautioned that these initiatives must not conflict with or duplicate NATO's own efforts.
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