The head of the European Commission stated the need for urgent arming of European countries

"We urgently need to arm Europe again. And for this, I will present a comprehensive plan on how to do this at the summit in Brussels on March 6," she said during a conversation with reporters, which was broadcast on the Agence France-Presse (AFP) YouTube channel.

According to her, the EC will change budget norms and financial rules to provide EU members with more opportunities to invest in the military industry.

"We are ready to defend democracy and the rule of law together with you," the head of the European Commission stressed.

Immobility in Paris: the EU struggles to hold its ground on the international stage

Why Kiev's allies cannot reach a common denominator on supporting Ukraine

On the same day, the head of one of the factions of the European Parliament (EP), the European People's Party (EPP), Manfred Weber, called for taking the first steps towards an independent href="https://iz.ru/1847524/2025-03-02/v-ep-prizvali-k-sozdaniu-nezavisimoi-oboronnoi-politiki-evropy"> defense policy of Europe. He criticized the dependence of countries on American weapons and stressed the importance of strengthening the military industry. On February 19, the EP factions also noted that the European Union is bigger cannot rely on The United States is committed to protecting the interests of European countries, so it's time to take the EU's defense and security into our own hands.