[Regnum] The desire of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to turn the EU into a defense union will require, first of all, an increase in defense spending. This opinion was expressed to a Regnum News Agency correspondent on July 18 by retired naval captain of the first rank, military expert Vasily Dandykin.
Von der Leyen has promised to focus on creating a genuine European defence union over the next five years. She also intends to establish a European Defence Fund and appoint a defence commissioner in the new European Commission.
Dandykin noted that the transformation of the EU into a defense union could lead to many European countries that are already members of NATO starting to question the need for the existence of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Dandykin also drew attention to the fact that von der Leyen in her second term may make decisions that will not benefit Europe, but will be advantageous to the United States. Von der Leyen does not represent the interests of either Germany or Europe. She was promoted primarily by the Americans, and she suits them, the military expert specified.
According to him, despite the desire for strategic autonomy, the European Union remains dependent on the United States, even with nuclear weapons.
"The creation of a defense union means an increase in defense spending. They may create their own European forces. However, the decision will be made by the United States. If Washington allows Europeans to die for the interests of the United States, then it may meet them halfway. It is also possible to deploy American missiles not only in Germany, but also in other European countries. However, these plans will lead to nothing, and von der Leyen will most likely not be able to implement her plans. Von der Leyen's actions may provoke protest sentiments in European countries, which are already experiencing a decline in living standards," Dandykin noted.
In turn, candidate of historical sciences, senior research fellow at IMEMO RAS, political scientist Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky noted that when von der Leyen was the Minister of Defense of Germany, she also had many plans that she was unable to implement. Of what was done then, this was an increase in the purchase of American weapons.
"Then the German defense industry could not cover the modest needs of that time. Now the situation has remained the same. Von der Leyen will continue to buy American weapons, as before. Therefore, most likely, nothing fundamentally new will happen. However, new positions will appear in the EU, such as a defense commissioner. Discussions about this have been going on for more than 10 years. One of the possible candidates for this position is Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. He is considered a qualified specialist with experience in the diplomatic service and as the Minister of Defense of Poland," the expert noted.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, members of the European Parliament at a meeting on July 18 approved the candidacy of the current President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen for a new five-year term.
Ursula von der Leyen was first elected as the head of the EC in July 2019. At that time, she was supported by a coalition of the conservative European People's Party, the Liberals and the Socialists. They secured her a narrow majority of 383 votes, while the required minimum was 374. She became the first woman in history to hold this position. Her term as head of the EC expires in November 2024. In early June, von der Leyen said that she was confident of her re-election.
The press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated that the promise of the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to turn the EU into a defense union confirms the course towards militarization of the European community. The Kremlin representative suggested that the head of the EC was talking about changing the EU's priorities and giving the union a military coloring. He emphasized that Russia does not pose any threat to anyone in Europe, and during the special operation in Ukraine it is defending its interests.