EU Parliament head threatens to sue von der Leyen
The European Parliament has warned the European Commission (EC) that it could take it to court if it bypasses EU lawmakers to create a €150 billion ($170 billion) loan program to boost defense spending across the bloc.
In March, EC head Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a plan to raise €800 billion to expand military potential across the EU in response to what she described as 'a threat coming from Russia' – a claim rejected by Moscow.
To raise the money, the Commission used Article 122 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which allows member states in emergencies to approve proposals from the executive branch in Brussels without going through the usual process.
On Monday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola sent a letter to von der Leyen, urging her to change the legal basis for the initiative, threatening to sue the EC if it fails to comply.
The adoption of the Commission's plan without a proper legal basis would end up 'putting at risk democratic legitimacy by undermining Parliament's legislative and scrutiny functions,' the letter read.
The EC 'will always be available to explain why Article 122 has been chosen as the appropriate legal basis,' its spokesman Thomas Regnier told Euronews.
'[Western] Europe faces an unprecedented security threat. As stated by President von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines, Article 122 will only be used in exceptional circumstances, as the ones we are currently living in,' Regnier stated.
The €150 billion loan program is seen by the Commission as a cornerstone of its 'Readiness 2030' proposal to invest over €800 billion into defense across the bloc by the end of the decade when – as Brussels claims – Russia would be in a position to attack an EU-member country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly rejected allegations that Moscow harbors aggressive intentions toward EU countries, calling it 'nonsense' designed to alarm Western Europeans and legitimize major increases in defense budgets.
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