Eduardo González
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, warned yesterday in Brussels of the need to “increase the deterrence and defense capacity” of the EU so that “there are no temptations by authoritarian regimes like that of Vladimir Putin.”
Sánchez made these statements upon his arrival at the European Council meeting in Brussels, which will conclude today and in which EU leaders address the continuity of support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion and the reinforcement of the industrial and technological base of the defense of the EU. Likewise, the summit analyzes the evolution of the conflict in the Middle East, the enlargement of the EU and other issues, such as foreign relations, migration, agriculture and the European Semester.
“It is an important Council, we will have a message of support from all leaders for Ukraine, at a time when they need a clear political message” of solidarity with the Ukrainian population and of strength and firmness towards Russia and “in the defense of a international order based on rules, respect for national sovereignty and above all for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which has been violated for more than two years now,” he declared.
Regarding European security, Sánchez warned that “Europe is a peace project, and to guarantee that peace, that space of rights and freedoms that is Europe, we need to increase our deterrence, security and defense capacity and that there be no temptations to authoritarian regimes like Putin’s that call into question and weaken that space of law, freedoms, and democracy that Europe represents.”
For this reason, Sánchez compared European funds to confront the pandemic with the financing of the defense and security industry. «Health, energy, climate policies and also security are European public goods. They need national financing and also a European contribution,” he added.
Precisely, the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, warned yesterday in the Senate of the need to increase “investment in Defense” to “increase the level of strategic autonomy” and to consolidate the industrial and technological base of the Armed Forces.
“The Government’s commitment to financing the Armed Forces has been demonstrated by the fact that we have gone from investing 0.93% of GDP in defense in 2018” to 1.24 percent of GDP in 2023, “and you know Spain’s commitment to reach 2% of GDP in 2029 perfectly,” she stated. “Investment in Defense I believe is important” because “it has an essential and fundamental purpose, which is to ensure and protect peace and it must be said with a capital letter: for peace, security and defense that at this moment we It is necessary,” Robles continued.
In an intervention by videoconference, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, asked the European Union for more measures to defend Ukraine and Europe “from Russian aggression and terror” and warned of the need for “true European self-sufficiency in matters of defending”. “This is Russia’s war not only against Ukraine, but against all of us, also against their countries, against all of Europe and the European way of life,” continued the Ukrainian president, who thanked the creation of the Ukraine Aid Fund. EU worth 5 billion euros but also assured that “Europe can provide more.”
Middle East
Regarding the Middle East, the President of the Government stated that the EU must adopt “conclusive conclusions”, something that “has not been done since October”, and insisted on “the need to reach a ceasefire and open the doors to a humanitarian aid that has to be proportional to the humanitarian drama that Gaza is suffering.”
In any case, Pedro Sánchez highlighted that the European Union is getting closer to the positions defended by Spain for months and affirmed that the draft conclusions of the summit “goes along the right lines” and follows the position defended by Spain during these months of conflict. Likewise, he insisted on the Spanish proposal for a Peace Conference on the Middle East that ends “in the recognition of the two States.”
In the first paragraph of its conclusions on the Middle East, the European Council called for “an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a lasting ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian aid.”
