BRUSSELS — The European Union should take Ukraine’s military needs into account as it determines the future strategy of Europe’s defense industry, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.
“Our strategy can only be complete if it also takes into account Ukraine’s needs and Ukraine’s industrial capacity,” von der Leyen said in a speech at the annual conference of the European Defense Agency.
Von der Leyen said Ukraine should be integrated into EU defense programs to help cater to its needs in its war against the Russian invasion.
“The first step to achieve this, is to involve Ukraine in the consultation process of the Industrial Strategy,” von der Leyen said.
“This should lead to integrating Ukraine in some of our defense programs, with the agreement of the European Parliament and Council, where necessary.”
The commission aims to propose its European Defense Industry Program early next year, von der Leyen said, which would also look at ways to fund the industry.
As part of this, the commission will try to see how it can get the defense industry’s contribution to Europe security recognized by sustainable financial investors, she said.
The EU’s defense industry would next year meet a target to increase its production capacity of ammunition rounds to 1 million rounds per year, von der Leyen added.
The target is separate from an EU plan to provide 1 million artillery shells and missiles to Ukraine within a year – a goal that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and other officials have said the bloc is unlikely to reach. — Reuters
