Europe
Germany Irks EU Leaders by Resisting Joint Defense Funding
- Poland leads push for strengthening EU borders at summit
- Von der Leyen puts defense needs at €500 billion over decade
This article is for subscribers only.
Germany pushed European Union leaders to drop language on joint defense spending, despite opposition from other member states that believe extra resources are needed to ramp up the bloc’s capabilities.
EU leaders meeting Thursday at a summit in Brussels agreed on their strategic priorities for the next five years, which includes the goals of strengthening security and defense. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz stood by Germany’s opposition to more joint spending to cover the bloc’s capability gaps at a time when its domestic budget is strained.