The media called von der Leyen's plan to rearm the EU far from reality.

The plan for the rearmament of the European Union (EU), presented by the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen, is far from reality. This assessment was expressed on March 5 by the portal Euractiv.

According to the head of the EC, the use of leverage in the form of bond issuance and relaxation of rules can free up to € 800 billion for defense and procurement.

"The figure is based more on hopes and guesses than on a realistic basis, allowing for immediate reform of underproduction and investment in defense in the countries of the bloc," the article says.

It is noted that the head of the EC "shifted the burden of finding real funds to the shoulders of the member states." Euractiv noted that the European Commission also provides few details on how it intends to reach the figure of €800 billion "through less controversial proposed options."

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In Brussels on March 4, von der Leyen announced the beginning of the "era of rearmament" in Europe. She presented a plan consisting of five key points. The first point involves unblocking government funding for defense at the country level. The second one includes a proposal to provide the EU member states with loans in the amount of €150 billion for investments in defense.

The remaining points of the plan focus on using the EU budget and mobilizing private capital, which will be achieved through accelerated savings and investments, as well as with the help of the European Investment Bank.