European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed activating a state of emergency mechanism to allow EU countries to significantly increase defense spending.
This was reported by Politico, citing four European officials who requested anonymity. The proposal was made during a closed meeting with EU leaders. The introduction of a state of emergency would enable member states to raise their defense budgets without violating EU financial constraints. Currently, EU rules allow deviations from spending plans only in the event of a severe economic downturn or exceptional circumstances.
Earlier, according to Politico, von der Leyen also suggested excluding defense spending from calculations of government budget deficits. The European Commission President officially stated that she intends to use “the full range of flexibility” offered by EU budget rules to ensure a significant increase in defense spending.
