At the end of the informal summit of the 27 in Brussels, the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, reported on the financing issues related to the defence industry. “Member states have made great efforts at national level. Defence spending has already increased by 30% between 2021 and 2024. Today, on average, the 23 member states that are also NATO allies are spending about 2% of their GDP on defence. We must continue in the same direction. The Commission announced it would look into the flexibilities within the new economic governance rules, to allow for more national spending on defence”. There is also talk of mobilising private investment – the war industry is a “business”. “As for public funds, defence will be an important topic in the discussions on the next EU budget cycle as of 2028. But it is clear to everyone that we need to act faster than that”. “Leaders also agreed that investment in the European defence industry will not only help ensuring peace, but also contribute to prosperity and to our competitiveness”. Speaking about partnerships, Mr Costa highlighted that with NATO, which “is key to ensuring transatlantic security”.

During the lunch with Secretary General Mark Rutte, “we agreed that a stronger Europe of Defence also strengthens the transatlantic partnership. The United States is our friend, our ally and our partner. This is a relationship that has deep roots and will endure in time. Problems and differences of views can come up also between friends. When they do, we need to address them, to talk and to find solutions. Of course, while defending our values and upholding our principles, and without compromising our own interests”. And finally: “We also had the pleasure of having with us the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer. The UK is our natural partner. And our meeting confirmed that there is a new positive energy in our relationship. There is a lot we can do together on defence and to address global challenges. We are looking forward to our summit with the UK this semester”.