EU Defense Funds Creation Requires Effort, Says Former Lithuanian PM

2025-02-01 03:14:17

(MENAFN- AzerNews) The establishment of the European Union (EU) defense funds will be a long-term process that requires significant effort from member state leaders.

Azernews reports that Andrius Kubilius, former Prime Minister of Lithuania and European Commissioner for Defense and Space, discussed this challenge with local media.

"The European Commission is focused on creating financial instruments like defense funds. While the need is clear, there is a lengthy process ahead to reach an agreement on these funds, how they will operate, and the rules governing their distribution to member states," Kubilius stated.

He criticized Lithuania for initially announcing a substantial increase in defense spending, only to seek funding sources later, suggesting that this burden should fall on Brussels. "Lithuanian ministers are suggesting they will search for funds in EU resources that don't yet exist," Kubilius remarked.

Following Lithuania's State Defense Council's announcement in January to increase military spending to 5-6% of GDP by 2026 (up from 3.03% in the 2025 budget), Defense Minister Dovile Šakalene stressed the need to push the EU for financial support in defense.

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