On 3 February, Renew Europe called on European leaders gathered at the informal EU summit to urgently scale up investments in the defence and security industries, to ensure the EU becomes a true security provider.
The Group believes that a true EU defence single market driven by a “buy European first” approach will only come through collaborative military capabilities with significant public and private investment, with the European Investment Bank (EIB) playing a crucial role.
“Europeans must take an urgent leap forward on collective defence. This requires immediate and strategic investments in European industries. Increased EU and national spending needs to be achieved in a more strategic and cooperative way,” said Renew Europe President Valérie Hayer MEP.
“EU leaders have finally acknowledged the growing threats to Europe. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s participation shows we need a broader European path. This is a step toward an EU defence union built on trust and shared values. Europe must be capable of defence based on its own strength,” added Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann MEP, Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Security and Defence.
Photo: European Council / 2024