March 19, 2024 (EIRNS)—Charles Michel, President of the EU Council, declared in Brussels yesterday that Europe must be war ready and must shift to a “war economy…. We have also stepped up on the military manufacturing front. Europe’s defense industry has ‘ramped up’ its production capacity by 50% since the start of the war, and we will double ammunition fabrication to over 2 million shells yearly, by the end of next year.” He is considering expanding the European Investment Bank mandate to support the war industry. Michel’s message: “If we want peace, we must prepare for war.”