French President Emmanuel Macron urged European countries to make strategic decisions regarding EU defense in the near future and implement joint financing to expand purchases and increase production.
“A strategic awakening must lead us to a decision on a massive defense plan and substantial investment in Europe, and these strategic decisions must be made in the coming weeks.” – Macron said.
The President of France emphasized that he supports the idea of introducing common European financing, which will allow “to buy and produce more”. According to Macron, the creation of a single army in Europe will be an extremely difficult task, but the expansion of joint defense capabilities is a real step, without which Europe will not be able to strengthen its independence from the United States.
Separately, he noted that France should also increase the share of defense spending in its budget:
“All the frontline countries are spending 4 or 5 percent of their gross domestic product, while we’re at 2 percent. We had those numbers in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, when the Cold War was still going on. Then the Berlin Wall came down and we invested a lot less. That’s over.”
