Sixteen countries of the European Union (EU) will claim to be temporarily exempt from the rules supervising budgetary stability to enable them to invest more in the defense, the EU announced on Wednesday April 30.
The European Commission presented a white paper for the defense last month in which it proposed, among other things, to the member states to devote up to 1.5 % of their gross domestic product (GDP) for four years to military spending, without fear of breaking the budgetary rules which frame the deficits and the debt.
Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland decided to request the activation of this budgetary exemption clause, said a press release.
EU countries, which seek to rearm in the face of the Russian threat and the risk of American disengagement from the European continent, had until the end of April to make their intentions known.
Mobilize up to 650 billion euros by 2030
Twelve of them formally asked to benefit from this exemption, according to the European Commission, and four others have committed to do so, according to the Council of the European Union, which brings together the member states.
The activation of this clause should make it possible to mobilize up to 650 billion euros by 2030 to rearm the continent, announced the commission in March, recognizing however that it was only a ” estimate “.
Several countries, including France, Spain or Italy, have so far not expressed their interest, even if they have undertaken to increase their military spending.
“We remain open to more requests” Exemption, the European economy commissioner said on Wednesday, Valdis Dombrovskis, quoted in a press release.
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The military spending of the twenty-seven has increased by more than 31 % since 2021, reaching 326 billion euros in 2024. “It’s better, but it’s not enough”said in March the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.