Italy is among the countries contrary to further restrictions on purchasing non -European weapons with the money that will come on loan from the Commission. The twenty -seven are trying to overcome the stall on the SAFE tool (Security Action for Europe), which should provide 150 billion loans to Member States for defense expenses.
At yesterday’s ECOFIN (Tuesday 13 May) there was “very strong support for a rapid conclusion of the negotiations”, said Andrzej Domański, the Finance Minister of Poland, the country that holds the presidency of the EU and therefore guides the negotiations. Unlock the 150 billion loans is a “priority”, but there are still “a couple of problems” to be solved, which will require some adjustments.
The limits proposed by Brussels
According to the proposal of the community executive, only 35 percent of the Safe money could be used for purchases in non -EU countries or who have not signed defense pacts with the block. And among the latter there are neither the United States nor the United Kingdom, even if with London a defense pact is being negotiated.
But, as reported by the Financial Times, citing diplomatic sources, in addition to this, France supports a further restriction that would limit the participation of any subcontractor of a country third to 15 percent of the value of the contract. This requirement is considered too restrictive from Italy, but also by Germany and Poland, whose defense companies have significant partnerships with British, Turkish, Americans and Korean contractors.
On the point in Europe there are two lines. On the one hand Paris for some time insists on the need for the EU to achieve self -sufficiency or “strategic autonomy” in the field of defense, while other great economies of the blockade, with strong links with defense contractors of third countries, support the need to focus on the cheapest and faster means of rearmament, regardless of the nationality of the companies that produce them.
The American opposition
And it is not surprising that the United States of Donald Trump are also contrary to the introduction of a “buy European” clause in the rearm plan presented by Ursula von der Leyen. “The moment we work together to strengthen the transatlantic cooperation on the industrial basis of the defense, the defense industry skills must also include the fair treatment for American defense technological companies,” said the American ambassador to NATO yesterday, Matthew Whitaker.
“Excluding non -EU members of non -EU defense initiatives would undermine the interoperability of NATO, would slow down the rearm of Europe, would increase costs and suffocate innovation”, added Whitaker, despite having then reiterated the intention of the USA to focus on other threats compared to those that weigh on Europe.
Warsaw pushes for the agreement
However, Poland remains confident in the possibility of reaching an agreement shortly. “We are very optimistic and we will be able to obtain a consensus on this dossier during the Polish presidency, we hope in May,” said Domański, according to which “we have to unlock 150 billion euros of loans for investment in defense as a priority”.
