Latest news with #SecurityActionforEurope
Euronews
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Brussels, my love? War in Gaza - what's Netanyahu's endgame?
In the Middle East, we've come to a turning point. Many of Israel's remaining allies have broken publicly with Benjamin Netanyahu's government for its relentless pummelling of Gaza and freezing of desperately needed humanitarian aid. In a highly unusual move, Canada, France and the UK threatened Israel with consequences. And even Donald Trump seems to run out of patience. Will Netanyahu listen? What leverage does the international community have on Israel? And on Hamas? Questions to this week's panel: James Moran, associate senior research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Kathleen Van Brempt, member of the European Parliament from the Belgian Social Democrats and Jacob Reynolds, head of policy at Hungarian think tank MCC Brussels. International pressure has been mounting on Israel over the past several days over its strategy in Gaza. The European Union said it will review its wide-ranging trade and cooperation pact with Israel over what Brussels sees as a catastrophic situation in Gaza . And even Germany, usually a staunch Israeli ally, voiced strong criticism, signalling that Berlin is unwilling to become isolated in the EU over Israel. It doesn't look like Netanyahu is willing to change anything. Israel launched a new military offensive into the enclave amid the reports that Israel's military plans to control 75% of Gaza within the next two months. Should Europe push (again) for a two-state solution? Behind the innocent acronym SAFE lies a risky gamble, a continental ambition, and perhaps the beginning of an assertive military divorce from Washington. SAFE stands for 'Security Action for Europe', an unprecedented 150 billion-euro plan to revolutionize the Old Continent's defence capabilities. A kind of Marshall Plan for the 21st century, but with support no longer coming from the United States. The EU Commission proposed SAFE through a legislative instrument that allows it to bypass a vote by the Parliament. And this is the problem. Was this a smart move? The president of the European Parliament threatened to sue the Commission over this plan - are we running into a constitutional crisis here? Finally, participants discussed the latest fight between Brussels and Hungary. The European Commission is setting the stage for an all-out confrontation with Budapest. Brussels has demanded that Budapest withdraw its controversial draft law aimed at limiting foreign funding of media organizations and NGOs. If the law were to come into force, it would give the government far-reaching powers to crack down on the press and critical voices in society. The EU Commission sees this as a serious violation of European principles and laws. Some members of the European Parliament from five different groups are urging the Commission to immediately freeze all EU funding to Hungary. Is this the right reaction and would it even be legally possible? What is the end game here? Can Hungary survive as a member of the European Union? Poland's two presidential candidates held their last election campaigns on Friday ahead of a runoff vote on Sunday. It will follow a first round on May 18, in which Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski won more than 31% of the vote and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian, earned nearly 30%. Eleven other candidates were eliminated. In the seaside city of Gdansk, Trzaskowski referenced the city's role in the Solidarity movement while addressing supporters. 'We all remember the shipyard workers who said, 'enough fear, enough lies, enough contempt.' Today, once again, we must stand together,' he said. 'For you, it will be just a few steps to the polling station, but together we can make a milestone towards realising our dreams and aspirations.' In his closing address, Nawrocki presented himself as a candidate who is 'simply one of you.' He described himself as 'a citizen of the Polish state who has come a long way to compete with a man created by a political laboratory.' Under Polish law, all campaigning and political advertising must cease at midnight. No public comment is allowed until polls close on Sunday.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Roads To War: The EU's Security Action For Europe Fund
As the world was readying for the Second World War, the insightful humane Austrian author Stefan Zweig made the following glum observation: 'Openly and flagrantly, certain countries express their will to expand and make preparations for war. The politics of rearmament is pursued in broad daylight and at breakneck speed; every day you read in the papers arguments in favour of armaments expansion, the idea that it reduces unemployment and provides a boost to the stock exchange.' This is not so different from the approval by European Union countries on May 27 of a €150 billion loan program known as the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) borrowing scheme. A press release from the European Council stated that the scheme 'will finance urgent and large-scale investments in the European defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB)' with the intention of boosting 'production capacity, making sure defence equipment is available when needed, and to address existing capability gaps – ultimately strengthening the EU's overall defence readiness.' The statement also makes a central rationale clear: that SAFE will enable continued European support for Ukraine, linking its defence industry to the program. Despite not being an EU member, Kyiv will be able to participate in the scheme. Interestingly enough, the United Kingdom, despite leaving the EU, will also be able to participate via a separate agreement. Disbursements to interested member states upon demand, considered along national plans 'will take the form of competitively priced long-maturity loans, to be repaid by the beneficiary member states.' The scheme further anticipates the types of weaponry, euphemistically titled 'defence products', that will feature. As outlined by the European Council on March 6, these will comprise two categories: the first covering, amongst others, such products as ammunition and missiles, artillery systems, ground combat capabilities with support systems; the second, air and missile defence systems, maritime surface and underwater capabilities, drones and anti-drone systems and 'strategic enablers' including air-to-air refuelling, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare. The broader militarisation agenda is confirmed by linking SAFE with broader transatlantic engagement and 'complementarity with NATO.' It will 'strive to enhance interoperability, continue industrial cooperation, and ensure reciprocal access to state-of-the-art technologies with trusted partners.' Significantly, the emphasis is on collaboration: a minimum of three countries must combine when requesting funding for SAFE defence projects. There seems to be something for everyone: the militarist, the war monger and the merchants of death. Global Finance, a publication dedicated to informing 'corporate financial professionals', was already praising the SAFE proposal in April. 'The initiative has the potential to transform the business models of many top European defense groups – like Saab, which has traditionally relied on contracts from the Swedish state to grow its sales.' What a delight it will be for such defence companies to move beyond the constraints on sales imposed by their limiting governments. A veritable European market of death machinery is in the offing. The fund is intended for one, unambiguous purpose: war. The weasel word 'defence' is merely the code, the cipher. Break it, and it spells out aggression and conflict, a hankering for the next great military confrontation. The reason is traditional, historic and irrational: the Oriental despotic eminence arising from the Asian steppes, people supposedly untutored in the niceties of European good manners and democracy. Not that European manners and democracy is in splendid health. A mere glance at some of the candidates suggests decline in institutional credibility and scepticism. But we can always blame the Russians for that, deviously sowing doubt with their disinformation schemes. The initiative, and its tightening of ties with arming Ukraine, has made such critics as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sound modestly sensible. 'We need to invest in our own armies, but they expect us to fund Ukraine's - with billions, for years to come,' he declared in a post on X. 'We've made it clear: Hungary will not pay. Our duty is to protect our own people.' The approval of the fund by the European Commission has also angered some members of the European Parliament, an institution which has been treated with near contempt by the European Commission. European Parliament Presidente Roberta Metsola warned Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier in May to reconsider the use of Article 122 of the EU Treaty, which should be used sparingly in emergencies in speeding up approvals with minimal parliamentary scrutiny. Bypassing Europe's invigilating lawmakers risked 'undermining democratic legitimacy by weakening Parliament's legislative and scrutiny functions'. The Council's resort to Article 122 potentially enlivened a process that could see a legal case taken to the European Court of Justice. The European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) has also supported a legal opinion repudiating the Commission's cavalier approach in approving the fund. According to that tartly reasoned view, Article 122 was an inappropriate justification, as the threshold for evoking emergency powers had simply not been met. Ironically, the rearmament surge is taking place on both sides of the Atlantic, at both the behest of the Trump administration, ever aggrieved by Europe not pulling its military weight, and Moscow, characterised and caricatured as a potential invader, the catalyst for decorating a continent with bristling weaponry. The former continues to play hide and seek with Brussels while still being very much in Europe, be it in terms of permanent garrisons and military assets; the latter remains a convenient excuse to cross the palms of the military industrial establishment with silver. How Zweig would have hated it.
Epoch Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
EU Approves $170 Billion Defense Fund as Europe Moves to Take Charge of Own Security
The European Union (EU) has formally adopted a landmark $170 billion defense financing program aimed at rearming the continent, bolstering its defense industry, and reducing reliance on the United States as the war in Ukraine rages on and questions swirl about America's future engagement in Europe's security amid increasing risks in the Pacific posed by communist China. The new instrument, known as the Security Action for Europe (SAFE), was finalized under Poland's rotating presidency of the Council of the EU and 'This is an unprecedented instrument which will boost our defence capabilities and support our defence industry,' Adam Szlapka, Polish minister for the EU, said in a statement. 'The more we invest in our security and defence, the better we deter those who wish us harm.' The new initiative—which will enter into force on May 29—will also allow the EU to strengthen its military support for Ukraine by including the country in the program from the start. This means Ukraine's defense industry can take part in joint purchases with EU countries and other partners, helping Kyiv get much-needed weapons and build closer ties with Europe's defense sector as it continues to counter Russian aggression. In addition to Ukraine, SAFE allows for participation from countries with existing security agreements with the EU, such as the United Kingdom. However, full participation in the program by these third countries will require additional agreements with conditions like capping non-EU content in defense contracts. SAFE is the first part of the EU's larger ReArm Europe Related Stories 5/27/2025 5/27/2025 'We are in an era of rearmament, and Europe is ready to massively increase its defense spending, both to respond to the short-term urgency to act and to support Ukraine, but also to invest in the long term, to take on more responsibility for our own European security,' Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in March when announcing the plan, adding that the time has come for Europe to 'step up.' Together with recent bilateral treaties—such as the new Franco-Polish defense French soldiers take part in joint military exercises with the British army near Reims, France, on April 22, 2025. Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty Images A soldier takes cover next to a British armoured vehicle as part of urban combat exercise during joint military maneuvers between the French and British army at the Sissonne camp, near Reims, France, on April 22, 2025. Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty Images Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has pushed Europe to boost its defense spending and take more responsibility for its own security after decades of depending on U.S. protection. The urgency behind SAFE also reflects growing alarm over Russia's latest actions. Over the weekend, Moscow Trump, who has positioned himself as a mediator in the conflict, criticized the escalation, Some U.S. lawmakers—including Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)—have 'Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped,' Zelenskyy said in a recent post on social media. Russia maintains it's open to a cease-fire and diplomatic settlement to the long-running conflict but insists that the 'root causes' of the war must be addressed, which Ukraine sees as code for capitulation.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
EU ministers approve new $219 billion arms fund
The measure was backed by 26 of the EU's 27 member countries. PHOTO: REUTERS BRUSSELS - The European Union on May 27 approved the creation of a €150 billion (S$219 billion) EU arms fund, driven by fears of a Russian attack in the coming years and doubts about US security commitments to the continent. The approval, by ministers from EU countries meeting in Brussels, was the final legal step in setting up the Security Action for Europe (Safe) scheme, using joint EU borrowing to give loans to European countries for joint defence projects. The measure was backed by 26 of the EU's 27 member countries, with Hungary abstaining, diplomats said. 'We adopted SAFE – first large-scale defence investment programme on the EU level,' Poland, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said on X. 'The more we invest in our security, the better we deter those who wish us harm.' The European Commission, the EU's executive body, proposed the fund in March as fears grew among European leaders that they could not be sure that US President Donald Trump's administration would defend them from attack. Alarmed by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and fearing they could be Moscow's next target, EU countries have already increased defence spending by more than 30 per cent in the past three years. But EU leaders say that is not enough. Moscow has condemned the EU's rearmament push as an incitement to war based on an 'invented story' of a Russian threat. Such words have not reassured European leaders, as Russia made similar statements before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The EU initiative seeks to break down national barriers by financing joint projects between EU countries and includes a strong 'buy European' element as it aims to boost the continent's defence industry. For a project to qualify for Safe funding, 65 per cent of its value must come from companies based in the EU, the broader European Economic Area, or Ukraine. However, companies from countries that have signed a Security and Defence Partnership with the EU can also be eligible, if they meet further conditions. Britain signed such an agreement with the EU earlier in May, bringing British companies such as BAE Systems a step closer to participation in SAFE projects. The Commission used a fast-track procedure to launch the legislation, bypassing the European Parliament and only requiring the approval of EU governments. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
EU ministers approve new 150 billion-euro arms fund
By Andrew Gray BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union on Tuesday approved the creation of a 150 billion-euro ($170.7 billion) EU arms fund, driven by fears of a Russian attack in the coming years and doubts about U.S. security commitments to the continent. The approval, by ministers from EU countries meeting in Brussels, was the final legal step in setting up the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme, using joint EU borrowing to give loans to European countries for joint defence projects. The measure was backed by 26 of the EU's 27 member countries, with Hungary abstaining, diplomats said. "We adopted SAFE – first large-scale defence investment programme on the EU level," Poland, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said on X. "The more we invest in our security, the better we deter those who wish us harm." The European Commission, the EU's executive body, proposed the fund in March as fears grew among European leaders that they could not be sure that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration would defend them from attack. Alarmed by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and fearing they could be Moscow's next target, EU countries have already increased defence spending by more than 30% in the past three years. But EU leaders say that is not enough. Moscow has condemned the EU's rearmament push as an incitement to war based on an "invented story" of a Russian threat. Such words have not reassured European leaders, as Russia made similar statements before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The EU initiative seeks to break down national barriers by financing joint projects between EU countries and includes a strong "buy European" element as it aims to boost the continent's defence industry. For a project to qualify for SAFE funding, 65% of its value must come from companies based in the EU, the broader European Economic Area, or Ukraine. However, companies from countries that have signed a Security and Defence Partnership with the EU can also be eligible, if they meet further conditions. Britain signed such an agreement with the EU earlier this month, bringing British companies such as BAE Systems a step closer to participation in SAFE projects. The Commission used a fast-track procedure to launch the legislation, bypassing the European Parliament and only requiring the approval of EU governments. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
