EU officials explore legal avenues to boost army funding for Ukraine
Date
3/25/2024 6:07:21 AM
(MENAFN) European Union officials are exploring legal avenues to bolster military funding for Ukraine by navigating around a clause in the bloc's foundational treaty, as reported by the financial Times on Thursday.
The proposed initiative involves circumventing a provision in the Treaty on European Union that prohibits allocating expenses with "military or defense implications" to the European Union's joint budget. While member states can directly contribute funding, individual governments retain the option to abstain from payments, even if they do not vote against the expenditure itself.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the European Commission has suggested the formation of a legal task force to assess whether Article 41(2) of the treaty can be bypassed. This would allow Brussels to procure weapons for Ukraine to aid in its conflict with Russia, as outlined by the British newspaper.
Currently, Ukraine's military efforts against Russia receive funding through the European Peace Facility (EPF), which operates independently from the European Union's joint budget. The legal interpretation being considered posits that Article 41(2) should solely pertain to the European Union's internal military initiatives and not extend to foreign states, as highlighted by the FT.
Described as potentially "groundbreaking" by one source, the discussions are in their nascent stages and may not ultimately favor Ukraine. Additionally, any alterations made could face opposition from member states and potentially be contested in court, the newspaper noted.
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