Rutte called on the European Union to increase the production of weapons

The European Union (EU) needs to step up arms production to ensure Europe's security. This was announced on March 8 by NATO Secretary General Mrak Rutte.

"We will have to spend more to protect ourselves. <...> But we also need to rapidly increase our defense production on both sides of the Atlantic. <...> For too long we have been producing too little," he said in an interview with Die Welt newspaper.

He added that Europe needs ammunition, ships, tanks, airplanes, as well as space and unmanned systems.

Reuters noted that Rutte met with the heads of defense companies and urged them to respond to the growing demand in Europe.

According to media reports, German leaders are discussing changes to the rules of borrowing to finance defense, as well as the creation of an infrastructure fund for $ 500 billion. The leaders of the EU member states also supported joint defense loans and easing budget restrictions on spending in this area.

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This will hit the economy of the association — the amount required for rearmament is four times its annual budget.

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on March 6 that during the summit in Brussels, EU leaders agreed on an 800 billion euro plan for the militarization of Europe. In a speech to reporters in Brussels on March 4, she shared that the rearmament plan is dedicated to how to use all the financial levers at the disposal of the EU to help members of the association quickly and significantly increase defense spending as a matter of urgency.