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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called on Europe to “turbo charge” its defence industrial capacity over the next five years.
Ms von der Leyen was speaking today at the European Economic Congress in Katowice in southern Poland.
“We are in an era of re-armament and Europe cannot be left behind and it cannot leave it to others,” said Ms von der Leyen.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she said, was about “redrawing the map of Europe and shattering Ukraine’s independence”, but that it was also a “war on our union and on the entire international rules-based system”.
She urged member states to “rebuild, replenish and transform” their armed forces.
The congress is an annual gathering of business leaders to discuss the future of the Polish and European economies.
The European Commission president also spoke about the resurgent state of European economies but defence issues occupied the core of her speech to delegates.
Ms von der Leyen said that, if she is elected for another term as European Commission president, she will propose the creation of a new European commissioner for defence to oversee defence projects of “common European interests” that are designed, built and deployed in Europe.
The first task of a new defence commissioner, she said, would be to draft a white paper on threats posed to Europe by disinformation and manipulation.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who also spoke to delegates at the forum, echoed the sentiments of Ms von der Leyen on defence policy.
Mr Tusk called on EU member states to increase defence expenditure by at least €100bn.
Spending big on European security, he said, will “move the war away from European borders, perhaps forever”.
“Europe will be ready in next couple of months and over the next five years for a situation in which no power in the world will dare to attack us,” said Mr Tusk.
Poland has allocated 4% of its GDP on defence spending this year, which is twice the level that NATO sets for its member states.
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