The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, calls for putting the economy of the European Union on "war rails". This should be considered already at the next summit of EU leaders, which will be held on March 21-22.
This is stated in the invitation letter to the participants of the summit, which was published by the Eurocouncil.
Michel emphasized that the priorities for the EU are the rapid transfer of military aid to Ukraine, accelerated procurement and delivery of shells. In addition, the EU should focus on the effective implementation and enforcement of sanctions against Russia, as well as on promoting efforts to use the proceeds from the frozen assets of the Russian Federation.
"For decades, Europe has not invested enough in its security and defense. It is time to take radical and concrete steps to be ready for defense and put the EU economy on a war footing. This means spending more and buying more together [weapons], and therefore more efficiently," said Charles Michelʼs letter.
Michel says the European defense industry needs to gain access to private and public funds and reduce regulatory burdens and barriers. The issue of EU expansion and a number of reforms should also be considered at the summit.
The head of the European Council also emphasized the importance of preventing the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East and problems with agriculture. In addition, the summit will analyze the state of affairs in the field of migration and consider various issues of foreign relations.