The European Parliament adopted on Wednesday a non-binding resolution on the White Paper on Defense that the European Commission will present on March 19 and which will contain the plan for Europe's rearmament.
The plan was outlined by EC President Ursula von der Leyen in the plenary debate on Tuesday and was voted on today with 419 votes in favour, 204 against and 46 abstentions.
MEPs from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia party had tabled an amendment to request the plan's name be changed from "Rearming Europe" to "Defend Europe", but it did not pass.
For the European Parliament this is a " historic moment for European defence ". MEPs welcome the EU's rearmament plan and strongly support the idea that member states should increase defence and security funding to new levels, to at least 3% of GDP.
The European Parliament also reiterates its support for Ukraine and "calls on EU member states, international partners and NATO allies to lift all restrictions on the use of Western weapons systems delivered to Ukraine against military targets on Russian territory."
The European Parliament notes "a shift in US foreign policy, as the Trump administration is proposing normalisation of ties with Russia and it is becoming increasingly clear that Europe needs to strengthen its security and defence to be able to help Ukraine defend itself" .
For the European Parliament, Russia, supported by its allies Belarus, China, North Korea and Iran, represents " the most significant direct and indirect threat to the EU and its security ."
For MEPs, " the European Union is now at a turning point in its history and construction ". According to the European Parliament, " the EU must now adopt a holistic and horizontal approach that integrates a defence and security dimension into most policies" and this approach must be "supported by regulatory and financial instruments ".
Furthermore, the European Parliament stresses " the need to strengthen capabilities and resources, overcoming the fragmentation of the defence market ".
In this sense, the European Parliament is "strongly convinced that European preference should be the cornerstone of all EU policies relating to the European defence market, as a strategic imperative to safeguard European expertise, in order to strengthen European defence capabilities in the long term and because EU taxpayers' money should create added value on EU territory" .
MEPs also call for “immediate measures to improve the security and protection of the EU’s north-eastern border with Russia and Belarus, by creating a comprehensive and resilient line of defence in the land, air and maritime sectors to counter military and hybrid threats” .
They also call for "the creation of a Council of Defence Ministers and the transition from unanimity to qualified majority for EU decisions in this area, with the exception of military operations with an executive mandate" . (A2 Televizion)
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