European Commissioner proposes to introduce a war economy regime in the EU
5 March 10:45
Today, European Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton will present proposals to encourage EU countries to buy more weapons from European arms companies and help such firms increase their production capacity. This was reported by Kommersant Ukrainian with reference to Reuters 
“We need to change the paradigm and move to a war economy. This also means that the European defence industry should take more risks with our support,” Breton said,
– Breton said.
He recalled that one of the US presidential candidates is directly questioning Washington’s NATO commitments, which means that Europe must do more to protect itself.
“In the current geopolitical context, Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security, regardless of the outcome of our allies’ elections every four years,” he said,
– the official said.
Breton’s proposals include the creation of a European version of the US military equipment sales scheme. Under this scheme, the US helps other governments buy from US arms companies.
Another proposal is that European arms firms should give priority to European orders during the crisis.
Breton’s package is expected to include about €1.5 billion by the end of 2027, a modest amount in the world of large-scale defence procurement. But officials say the package will create a legal framework that will allow for much more coordinated spending in the years ahead, should the EU want to increase funds. In particular, Breton called for the creation of a special EU fund of €100 billion for defence projects.
Representatives of the European Commission suggest that Ukraine should be immediately included in these schemes, even though it is not currently part of the EU.
“Our mission here is to treat Ukraine almost like a member state,”
– said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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