Overview

• Josep Borrell emphasized that defense remains a national competence, criticizing the European Commission's lack of authority over member-state military budgets.
• He proposed a new intergovernmental treaty, led by France and Germany, to establish a unified European defense outside the EU framework.
• Borrell warned that a potential U.S. withdrawal from NATO could require European nations to increase annual defense spending by €250 billion and restructure the alliance.
• He highlighted Europe's reliance on non-European countries, such as China and South Korea, for armaments, stressing the need for coordinated military capacity building.
• Borrell also underscored the strategic importance of supporting Ukraine to avoid an undefendable eastern flank for the European Union.