Who pays for European rearmament?

A few days after a historic summit on the "re-armament of Europe" in Brussels, doubts are emerging about the EU's rearmament plans . The financing is not secured, and the justification for the change of course, unprecedented in EU history, remains vague. This became clear at a press conference with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the EU authority.

The discussion was actually supposed to be about the 100-day review of the new EU Commission, which began its work on December 1. But then questions arose about the new armament program that the CDU politician had presented at the EU summit, apparently in consultation with CDU leader Friedrich Merz . Von der Leyen was at a loss for answers.

It remained unclear why the EU now had to rearm so quickly. At the EU summit, this was justified, at least behind the scenes, by the new American Ukraine policy and the lack of alliance loyalty of US President Donald Trump. The summit resolutions, however, only speak of a "changing environment" in foreign policy.

Von der Leyen was not any clearer. When asked whether the USA was still a reliable partner, she evaded the question. "Of course the USA is our ally," she explained. But that does not mean that there are no differences. In addition, the Europeans must do their "homework" and increase their armament efforts. This is exactly what Trump has been demanding for years.

Only 150 billion euros are covered

Von der Leyen did not utter a word of criticism of Trump. She continues to rely on "transatlantic cooperation" - including in the field of armaments. So far, 80 percent of European armaments investments go to countries outside the EU - and the USA in particular stands to benefit from this. Because only the Americans have the necessary capacities and the required know-how.

Another problem is the financing of the armament plans. Von der Leyen had announced a volume of up to 800 billion euros. However, only 150 billion euros of this is covered by a planned debt-financed EU instrument, for which the legal requirements still have to be created, as the Commission President admitted.

The large remainder of 650 billion euros is a hopeful figure in the event that the 27 member states increase their military spending by up to 1.5 percent of economic output. To do this, the recently reformed debt rules are to be relaxed - but only for military spending, not for climate protection or social issues. The strict rules continue to apply there, said von der Leyen.

She said that there is a "fine line" between loosening and budget discipline. However, according to many experts, the money will not be enough. In Brussels, the creation of Eurobonds is therefore being discussed to finance European rearmament and the war in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron is particularly in favor of these defense bonds - his state coffers are empty. However, von der Leyen is not going along with this. It is too early to talk about new sources of finance, she said. Germany in particular has so far been opposed to Eurobonds. Here too, von der Leyen's party colleague Merz will probably have the last word.