The European Parliament gave its green light to the plan for the rearmament of Europe presented last week by the president of the Ursula von der Leyen commission. Strasbourg’s classroom approved with 419 votes in favor, 204 against and 46 abstentions, a resolution that asks to act urgently to ensure the safety of the block.
Endorsement at the Rearm Europe
It is a non -binding text, but which still represents a political endorsement on the Rearm Europe plan, with which Brussels aims to increase military spending of up to 800 billion euros in the next four years. The three parties of the “Ursula majority”, popular, socialists and liberals, with some exceptions such as that of a part of the deputies of the Democratic Party who, on the indication of the secretary Elly Schlein, have abstained.
“In recent times it has become clear that the EU must take on greater responsibility for its safety. We see the future of European defense as a common project and for this reason the Member States must commonly put the resources for defense spending and avoid fragmentation, which weakens our defense skills and increases costs”, said the Greek socialist Yannis Maniatis, vice -president of the Foreign Affairs Commission and one of the negotiators of the text.
The EU votes for the rearmament: the Democratic Party breaks out, Fdi abstains on Ukraine
Efforts “as in war time”
In the text, which represents the contribution of the deputies to the so -called White Paper on the future of the European Defense, that the Commission and the High Representative should present next week, Parliament asks for concrete measures to start “really innovative efforts” and actions “similar to those used in war time”.
In the resolution it is stated that Europe is facing “the deepest military threat to its territorial integrity from the end of the Cold War” and the international partners and allies of NATO are invited to remove all restrictions on the use of western weapon systems provided to Ukraine against military objectives in the Russian territory.
Russia “Direct threat”
Russia, supported by its allies Belarus, China, North Korea and Iran, represents “the most significant direct and indirect threat for the EU and its safety”, is still affirmed in the resolution. The deputies then underline how the recent declarations and actions of the administration of the US President Donald Trump have increased concerns about the future attitude of the United States towards Russia, NATO and European security.
In light of this scenario, Parliament highlights that EU’s defense efforts cannot remain of limited dimensions, fragmented in terms of flow and slow as regards the results “. The deputies therefore ask for more efforts not only in the military sector, but also in the industrial, technological and intelligence sector.
