EU's strategic shift: bolstering defense in the shadow of Russian threat

There’s still much discussion around the remarks Donald Trump made during a February meeting with voters.

"One of the presidents of a large country asked me: well, sir, if we don’t contribute financially and we are attacked by Russia, will you protect us? I responded: No, I will not protect you. Actually, I would encourage them (Russia), to do whatever they please with you. You’ve got to contribute" - Donald Trump explained, referring to financial commitments to NATO.

"Europe is striving to make up for lost time from the early months of the conflict. Essentially, the goal is to establish an industrial capability capable of defending the EU against the Russian threat without significant action from the USA," "Dziennik Gazeta Prawna" writes, noting that Brussels has announced the unveiling of a new defense investment program.

Over the next year, £95 billion (converted from 110 billion dollars) are to be set aside for investments.

EU Commissioner Thierry Breton argued that Europeans "must adopt a war economy stance." The EU also plans to implement a system of joint orders overseen by the European Commission. This strategy reminds of the approach taken for acquiring COVID-19 vaccines.

"DGP" mentions that the plan for the European defense industry includes: "a European arms sales mechanism, funding for crucial European defense projects, and VAT exemptions for groups of countries that decide to jointly purchase European weapons."

In 2022, military spending in Europe grew by 13 percent, marking the most significant increase since the Cold War's end, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). During this time, Poland boosted its military spending by 11 percent and stands among the leaders alongside Finland, Lithuania, and Sweden.

Finland leads among European nations, which in 2022 was preparing for NATO membership and which joined the alliance at the start of April 2023. The country upped its military budget by 36 percent - the most significant rise since 1962. Lithuania comes in second, with a 27 percent increase, and Sweden is third, with a 12 percent increase. Poland, having raised its military budget by 11 percent, takes fourth place in Europe in this regard.

Overall, military expenditure of Central and Western European countries reached £300 billion in 2022, a 30 percent increase from 2013.