‘Nothing is off the table’ on EU defence funding, says Ursula von der Leyen

9 mars 2025 à 15:46

Commission president says ‘something fundamental’ has shifted and democracy and rule of law are under threat

“Nothing is off the table” when it comes to raising money for defence, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has said, as she warned European values such as democracy and the rule of law were under threat in a increasingly “transactional” world.

Without mentioning Donald Trump by name, the head of the EU executive told reporters there was a new sense of urgency in the geopolitical sphere and that “something fundamental” had shifted since she began her second term in office on 1 December, nearly 100 days ago.

After 80 years of transatlantic ties, Europe forges a new alliance

The Guardian

Par :Toby Helm · Jennifer Rankin in Brussels · Luke Harding in Kyiv and Kate Connolly in Berlin

9 mars 2025 à 06:00

Germany, France and UK sweep away old rules in pledge to do ‘whatever it takes’ to defend Europe from Russian threat

When he rose to his feet at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Keir Starmer delivered a stirring tribute to six British soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan 13 years ago.

He read out their names very deliberately, one by one. The House was silent. The prime minister then added a tribute to a 22-year-old British Royal Marine, also killed on 6 March, but in 2007 in Helmand province.

‘Watershed moment’: EU leaders agree plan for huge rise in defence spending

The Guardian

Par :Jennifer Rankin in Brussels

6 mars 2025 à 20:57

Leaders endorse Ursula von der Leyen proposal as French president calls Vladimir Putin ‘an imperialist who seeks to rewrite history’

European leaders holding emergency talks in Brussels have agreed on a massive increase to defence spending, amid a drive to shore up support for Ukraine after Donald Trump halted US military aid and intelligence sharing.

It came as French president Emmanuel Macron warned on Thursday night that “the only imperial power that I see today in Europe is Russia” and called Vladimir Putin as “an imperialist who seeks to rewrite history” after the Russian president appeared to compare him to Napoleon Bonaparte.

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