EU unveils rearmament plan, warns continent ‘at risk’ from Russia
Brussels (dpa) – The European Commission on Thursday proposed four rearmament projects in the areas of border protection, drone defence, air defence and space to strengthen Europe’s military capabilities and deter Russia.
“The recent threats have shown that Europe is at risk. We have to protect every citizen and square centimetre of our territory. And Europe must respond with unity, solidarity and determination,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The projects are meant to define shared goals and set milestones to improve Europe’s defence readiness by 2030. Intelligence agencies believe that Russia will presumably be militarily capable of starting another war by 2030 at the latest.
The plan foresees that EU leaders will approve the initiatives until the end of the year and agree on what EU countries contribute to which projects and which capitals take the lead.
The Commission wants EU member states to make significant progress in drone defence by the end of 2026 while improving the protection of the EU’s eastern border at the same time.
The aim is to “establish a comprehensive European border defence capability with multi-domain surveillance systems, drone and counter-drone capabilities, electronic warfare capabilities, precision strike systems, and responsive operational coordination,” the proposal reads.
Joint procurement of surveillance systems and defence technology should start in the first quarter of next year, with initial parts of the systems expected to be operational by the end of 2026 and full capability by the end of 2027.
Germany to lead air defence projects
On air defence, the Commission wants member states to “to achieve an integrated, multi-layered air and missile defence shield, including necessary sensors, that protects against the full spectrum of air threats.”
The new capacities, to be built from spring 2026, are to be interoperable with NATO’s systems and in line with capability targets previously defined by the Western defence alliance, the Commission said.
Funding is to be provided primarily by member states and through existing EU programmes.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday that Germany is ready to assume a leadership role in the air defence initiative.
EU leaders are expected to discuss the initiatives at a summit next week in Brussels. (16 October)
