European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is under fire for pushing a massive €800 billion “ReArm Europe” defense plan, which critics say is a blatant power grab by Brussels. National Rally leader Marine Le Pen slammed the move, accusing von der Leyen of seizing authority that belongs to EU member states, not the Commission.
Le Pen wasn’t alone. National Rally President Jordan Bardella called out von der Leyen for overstepping, insisting that France should focus on its own military strength rather than EU-wide defense projects. He proposed raising France’s defense budget to 3% of GDP and prioritizing European-made defense equipment over foreign imports.
The timing of the plan raises eyebrows, coming just after Donald Trump announced a “pause” in U.S. military aid to Ukraine on March 4. Brussels, in response, vowed to ramp up defense spending and military aid—including loosening debt restrictions so EU nations could take on €650 billion in defense spending over four years.
Beyond financing, the EC’s plan would push joint weapons procurement, targeting missiles, drones, artillery, and cyber defense. Von der Leyen also urged member states to funnel cohesion policy funds into defense spending, emphasizing that Europe must step up in a new era of rearmament.
Conservative commentator Mathieu Bock-Côté weighed in, warning that EU elites were using Ukraine as a pretext for deeper European federalism, sidelining national sovereignty. He called out the political pressure to conform, where anyone who questions EU defense centralization is dismissed as a Putin sympathizer.
Le Pen also took aim at French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of undermining France’s nuclear deterrence by entertaining the idea of expanding it to the broader EU.
With tensions high and elections looming, von der Leyen’s push for greater EU military integration is shaping up to be a defining battle over national sovereignty versus a centralized European defense.
