Europe's Urgent Need for Enhanced Arms Production

The EU has been urged by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to enhance its arms production capabilities due to growing geopolitical threats, notably Russia's war on Ukraine. Speaking at the GLOBESEC forum, she emphasized that Europe's security efforts need to be more robust and that Europe must view itself as a security-centric union as the second half of the decade poses high risks.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for the EU to significantly boost its arms production capacities in light of escalating geopolitical threats, particularly Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. Speaking at the GLOBESEC forum in Prague on Friday, von der Leyen stressed that protecting Europe should primarily be Europe's responsibility.

She underscored the importance of NATO while advocating for a much stronger European presence in collective defense strategies. According to von der Leyen, Europe currently harbors the illusion that it is doing enough for security, a notion that needs urgent correction.

The Commission President highlighted that the second half of this decade is expected to be high-risk, necessitating vigilant and coordinated security efforts. She argued that the European Union must be perceived intrinsically as a security project to effectively counter these looming threats.

(With inputs from agencies.)