Blindsided
In her speech on Friday, von der Leyen said Europe was “now in another period of crisis which warrants a similar approach” to that of the Covid pandemic.
To the surprise of many, she first floated using the emergency clause during a closed-door meeting with national leaders last week, as POLITICO first reported.
Her move, at the time, left national Treasury officials and the Commission’s own economy department blindsided, as they had never considered using this option.
So far, finance ministries only discussed expanding the definition of defense investment to military staffing and equipment maintenance.
While this would allow countries more leeway to increase military spending, it is seen by highly indebted states such as Spain, France and Italy as insufficient.
In addition to loosening fiscal rules, Von der Leyen said she would also set out a “wider package” of measures to boost spending tailor-made for each of the 27 capitals linked to their level of defense spending.