European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen said it is time to implement the Mutual Defense Pact, which is included in the EU’s founding agreement and expresses the responsibility of other member states to provide assistance and support in the event of an armed attack on a member state.
Von der Leyen spoke at the 62nd Munich Security Conference in the session titled “Principled and Pragmatic: Harnessing Power in a World in Turmoil.”
Europe must become more independent in the areas of security, economy and technology as the fourth anniversary of the war started by Russia against Ukraine approaches. Von der Leyen pointed out that the EU was being weakened from within by external interference and that competition at the global level had developed into a tougher power struggle.
Von der Leyen said that Europe’s democratic foundations, citizens’ trust and the “European way of life” were facing new threats and that independence in the areas of defense, energy, economics, trade, raw materials and digital technologies had become mandatory.
“An independent Europe does not contradict transatlantic ties, on the contrary, a strong Europe means a strong transatlantic alliance,” von der Leyen stressed, saying that Europe should take more responsibility for its own security and prosperity.
Von der Leyen said that defense spending in Europe had increased by about 80 percent by 2025 compared to pre-war Ukraine and that the SAFE program had invested in areas such as air and missile defense, drones and military mobility.
Von der Leyen stressed that Europe’s support for Ukraine continues, explaining that a loan mechanism worth 90 billion euros had recently been put into effect and that this debt would only be repaid if Russia paid war reparations.
Von der Leyen noted that defense investment in Europe by 2028 is expected to exceed U.S. spending on defense equipment last year.
Von der Leyen emphasized that Europe should increase its capabilities in strategic areas such as space, reconnaissance and long-range strike capabilities, continuing:
“No taboo can go unchallenged. I believe it is time for Europe to implement the mutual defense clause. Mutual defense is not optional for the EU. It is an obligation in our own Treaty (Article 42). There is a good reason for this. It is our shared obligation to stand by each other in the event of an attack, or simply put: ‘One for all, all for one’. That is the meaning of Europe, but this obligation becomes more important when it is based on trust and capability builds.”
UNANIMITY IS NOT ALWAYS MANDATORY
Von der Leyen noted the importance of speeding up decision-making processes, saying that in some cases decisions could be made by qualified majority instead of unanimity.
Initiatives such as the “Coalition of Volunteers” are examples of new security cooperation and the EU wants to strengthen its relationships with partners such as England, Norway, Iceland and Canada.
Von der Leyen called for the development of a new European security strategy, saying that trade, finance, standards, data, critical infrastructure, technology platforms and information policy should be reconsidered taking into account the security dimension.
Von der Leyen stated that the war in Ukraine showed the importance of industrial capacity and stressed that the boundaries between the defense and civilian sectors should be reduced.
Von der Leyen stated that the automotive, aerospace and heavy equipment industries should be considered as part of the defense value chain, drawing attention to the importance of accelerating innovation in dual-use areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, unmanned systems and space technologies.
Von der Leyen said that the EU Defense Innovation Office set up in Kyiv aims to combine Europe’s manufacturing capacity with Ukraine’s rapid innovation approach.
Von der Leyen pointed out that drones were responsible for about 80 percent of the damage caused in the war in Ukraine and said that production and innovation in this area would be accelerated.
Von der Leyen noted that the interoperability of various weapon systems in Europe can be increased through software and artificial intelligence technologies, adding that defense spending should be increased and that this would also create a new industrial growth opportunity for the European economy.
