The European Commission urged, in a letter sent to the defense ministers of the European Union (EU), meeting this Tuesday in Brussels, to joint arms purchases to “resolve bottlenecks and guarantee security”, as in the acquisition of anti-Covid -19 vaccines 19.
In the letter to which the Lusa news agency had access today, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, reminded those responsible for the protection of the “years of underinvestment in defence” in the community space, noting that “the main challenge is to intensify its production” to “resolve possible bottlenecks in the supply chain and guarantee the EU’s security of supply in terms of capabilities defense criticism.
“We managed to collectively face the increase in the production of anti-covid-19 vaccines […] and, in months, the EU became the producer and exporter of this type of vaccine in the world”, compare Thierry Breton and Josep Borrell, who ask to “replicate this experience” for weapons.
“The joint communication on defense investment gaps and measures to close them, adopted in May, confirms that Member States must immediately restore the readiness of their forces, close gaps in critical capabilities and replenish depleted ‘stocks'” . [pelo que] A more coordinated and joint contracting can help address these challenges more effectively”, argue those responsible.
According to Breton and Borrell, “Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine has instilled even more urgency in these efforts.”
Following that May communication, a Joint EU Defense Procurement Task Force was set up to work with Member States to support coordination of their near-term procurement needs.
The idea is that this body coordinates “to avoid an avalanche of orders, which would result in a spiral of prices, an excessive concentration of demand in the same period of time, shortage of supplies and difficulties for the most exposed Member States to guarantee the essential elements”, point out Breton and Borrell.
Having established contacts with Member States to assess the needs, this working group will now analyze the EU industrial production capacities needed to respond to these gaps, and will again request the countries’ cooperation.
“Our credibility is at stake, our interests are at stake, our security is at stake,” conclude those responsible for the community executive, in the letter to which Lusa has had access today.
Last July, the European Commission proposed to strengthen the European defense industry through a new joint arms procurement instrument, making €500 million available from the EU budget for the period between 2022 and 2024.
Previously, in May, the Commission adopted a communication commissioned by European leaders at the Versailles summit held last March in response to the weaknesses of the European defense sector, proposing a series of measures to strengthen the defense industrial and technological base. European Union, recommending to the 27 that they advance to joint acquisitions, a proposal that was later formalized with an incentive of 500 million euros.
Portugal is one of the countries that has defended this solution.
Source: TSF
