Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1516790
15 EWROPEJ maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 MARCH 2024 ture leadership in the wake of Russia's two-year war of aggression. "What we need is a Franco-German engine driv- ing these efforts, providing strength… to provide the right cause for security and defence in Europe." Reintke also said the ideological, dog- matic opposition to investment did not make sense, referring to the New Green Deal as key to European security. "In- vestment is key to contributing to social cohesion, because a socially divided Eu- rope actually constitutes a threat to our democracy, so we cannot show fatigue when it comes to investing in social jus- tice." The Left's co-chair Martin Schirde- wan delivered a different kind of rheto- ric, saying European leaders were using words such as "battle-ready" to hide its shortcomings on human rights, migra- tion, and austerity politics. "Your only call for war is there to feed profits to the defence companies," Schirdewan. "Have you gone absolutely crazy? Do you want an arms race to lead to the next catastrophe, while at the time people have less social security, less healthcare, schools falling apart, while all profits go to shareholders? It is these policies that fuel the far-right and threaten democ- racy." Earlier in February, European Parlia- ment President Roberta Metsola said the EU must step up defence capabili- ties and be ready to face threats with- out the support of its long-time security partner the United States. Metsola said Europe needs to spend more "to strengthen our defence indus- try and get practical about our strategic autonomy", stressing that a European "defence union" should be "comple- menting, not competing with NATO." "Europe cannot waver, when we see what could happen across the Atlantic … Europe needs to stand strong," she said. Her comments came after former U.S. President Donald Trump said he would "encourage" Russia to attack any NATO member that didn't pay enough for de- fence, sparking outrage across Europe. As for the European Parliament's role in arming the EU, Metsola said MEPs would continue pushing for joint pro- curement and development of weapons to be "financed by the Union through a dedicated budget under parliamentary co-decision and scrutiny." European defence strategy The EU's internal market commis- sioner Thierry Breton is set to present next Tuesday his much-touted Europe- an Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS), and accompanying European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP). Together, these initiatives promise to advance the EU's ambitions to foster a resilient defence industrial base, nota- bly bolstering the continent's produc- tion capacity of weapons and ammu- nition while incentivising cross-border cooperation. Two years after the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, EDIS will be the latest addition to a growing list of EU announcements in- tended to ramp up the bloc's credibility in all things industrial-defence. The strategy is designed to provide an overarching, coherent framework to fill gaps in existing schemes and organise long-term production perspectives for the defence industry. For that purpose, the European Com- mission has earmarked €1.5bn for the EDIP. The programme will build on previous instruments known as ASAP — Act in Support of Ammunition Pro- duction, and EDIRPA — European De- fence Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement Act — that will end in 2025. Europe's weaknesses have become clear as the war drags on its doorstep, with its supply chains falling short of fulfilling the needs of the Ukrainian re- sistance. German defence minister Bo- ris Pistorius warned that the EU's target to deliver one million artillery shells to Ukraine by March 2024 will not be met. Since the beginning of the conflict, the EU committed €144bn financial support to Ukraine but was only able to allocate about half that; a significant share of that effective support is the result of purchases of ready-to-buy US supplies. Amid tense negotiations for the re- form of the European Peace Facility, a tool used to reimburse bilateral do- nations to Ukraine, the French have become more vocal about a 'European preference' in defence purchases. Ursula von der Leyen is spearheading efforts to implement political changes aimed at revitalising the EU's defence capabilities. She has proposed the re- organisation of commissioners' port- folios to appoint a dedicated Industrial Defence Europe chief, or so-called EU defence commissioner. as Trump election looms This article forms part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' views. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action. From left: Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Manfred Weber (EPP), Pedro Marques (S&D), Terry Reintke (Greens), and Valerie Hayek (Renew)