EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a permanent state of exception [in her speech at the Munich Security Conference](ttps://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_25_516). After accusing Russia of having created the energy crisis in Europe, she called for extending the emergency regimes implemented during the pandemics, in the Ukraine war and in the “full-scale energy crisis.” “We must adopt this urgency mentality more permanently,” she said.
She then peddled the empty narrative of the “authoritarians” of this world against the democrats. She boasted that the EU has weakened Russia with sanctions, spent as much as the U.S. in military aid to Ukraine and “is about to do more.” Zelenskyy wants peace, Putin does not, she claimed.
Statements from the new U.S. administration have confused European security experts, but von der Leyen agrees with the idea that military expenditures must increase. “Our defense spending went up from just over €200 billion before the war to over €320 billion last year. But we will need to increase that number considerably once again. Because from just below 2% to above 3% will mean hundreds of billions of more investment every year. So, we need a bold approach.… This is why I can announce that I will propose to activate the escape clause for defense investments. This will allow Member States to substantially increase their defence expenditure.”
