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The European Parliament on Tuesday held a debate on security and strengthening the EU’s defence capabilities, as well as support for Ukraine.
This was reported by press service of the European Parliament
The debate on defence and security issues was held in the European Parliament on 11 March with the participation of EU leaders.
President of the European Council Antonio Costa noted that Europe is currently passing through a ‘decisive moment’ in history, and therefore the EU is initiating ambitious decisions to strengthen its defence capabilities. He also stressed that Ukraine’s security is an integral part of European security.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that peace ‘can no longer be taken for granted’, it is time to get rid of illusions and take responsibility for our security, and then spoke about the plan of investment in strengthening defence capabilities introduced by the EC.
‘We are the right size to be able to deter any hostile country, we have the economic strength to do so and, finally, we have the political will,’ von der Leyen said.
Most of the leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups expressed support for the plans to strengthen the EU and further support Ukraine.
Some MEPs stressed that it is important for Europe to strengthen its competitiveness, move towards ‘strategic autonomy’ and, in particular, ensure independent access to critical raw materials and energy resources. There was also criticism of the new White House administration for changing course on Ukraine and calls for the EU to step up diplomatic efforts to support Kyiv, in addition to military assistance.
At the same time, some MPs stressed that the shift in focus to security issues should not come at the expense of social policy, scientific research, and measures to combat climate change.
