On Tuesday, Commission President von Der Leyen presented the five -point plan, upload the EU, where Member States must be given exceptions to budget rules in order to be able to equip.
Want to invest thousands of billions on defense
The renovation plan is not entirely clear, but overall it is hoped to release € 800 billion, almost SEK 9,000 billion. The plan presented is primarily based on ease the otherwise strict budget rules in the EU – so that member states do not risk fines and savings requirements to invest in the defense.
It is believed to be able to give up to SEK 7,200 billion to the defense, provided that countries increase the expenditure on the defense on average 1.5 percent of GDP.
A new fund is also proposed that Member States could borrow for use for joint defense initiatives, the proposal is around SEK 1,600 billion.
“With that equipment, the member states will be able to increase their support for Ukraine tremendously, in an immediate way,” said von der Leyen.
Hungary says no to Ukraina Support
Also included in the meeting was Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, who thanked the EU leaders for their support. However, the unity among the member states was not as great when it came to the declaration of support to Ukraine. 26 of the 27 member states signed – Hungary refused.
– We are 26 Member States that fully agree on continued support for Ukraine, in the principles we have described many times before: a fair and sustainable peace is based on the fact that it is an independent Ukraine that comes from this war on Ukraine’s terms, says Prime Minister Kristersson (M).
The Prime Minister also commented on Hungary’s decision not to sign, which he meant was expected.
– Hungary refuses to join and stands completely next to us. There will be no formal conclusions, but there will be a statement that comes through the chairman of the European Council, on behalf of the 26 countries.
Kristersson: Good that the EU is setting up
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) commented on the presented renovation plan – which he made up with.
“It is good that the EU now contributes with regulatory simplifications and sets up resources,” Kristersson said.
At the same time, he pointed out that Sweden has already started investing heavily in the defense.
– Basically, defense spending is national responsibility, we have shown it better than other countries. Many countries do just as well or even more, some countries are lagging behind, says Prime Minister Kristersson after a meeting with the EU Committee.
Facts: EU summit
The heads of EU countries and government countries are gathered for an extra-summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyj participated as an extra -invited lunch guest.
The EU countries are expected to support the EU Commission’s plan “Refusal EU”, which includes a new support fund of EUR 150 billion and opportunities for EU countries to obtain exemptions from normal debt and deficit rules regarding defense investments.
The continued support for Ukraine is also discussed.
Afterwards, a closing press conference awaits with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council Chair António Costa.