European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton said that the European defense industry should switch to a wartime economy. His words on March 3 are quoted by the newspaper Financial Times.
“I believe the time has come for the European defense industry to shift to a wartime economic model to meet our defense manufacturing needs,” he said.
According to Breton, the European Union (EU) needs to increase the production of ammunition to cope with the realities of high-intensity conflict.
It is noted that Breton is pressuring financial institutions that do not cooperate with arms companies so that banks increase lending to such firms.
The day before, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that in order to ensure peace and preserve freedom in Europe, uninterrupted production of ammunition must be established. He stressed that Germany has the opportunity to organize an industrial foundation, thanks to which peace and security will be achieved in Europe.
On March 1, Der Spiegel magazine reported that the European Commission (EC) has developed a project to transfer the economy to wartime in order to support Ukraine. According to the magazine, the EC is preparing to present to the EU member states a plan that will ensure not only the military supply of Ukraine, but also the replenishment of weapons stocks in the EU countries.
Prior to that, on February 19, the head of the EU foreign service, Josep Borrell, said that Ukraine received enough weapons, but little ammunition. He stressed that the EU must solve this problem within weeks. On March 6-7, EU Foreign Ministers will meet to coordinate the supply of additional weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Kyiv against the backdrop of a special operation of the Russian Federation to protect Donbass, the decision on which was made against the backdrop of aggravation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
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