The media reported on the EU's plans to reorient ports for military needs

The leadership of the European Union (EU) plans to modernize ports in the countries of the region in order to refocus them on military needs, despite concerns from business. This was announced by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on June 20.

"Shipping company executives fear that reconfiguring ports to handle military movements could undermine their competitiveness. European officials have promised to balance security needs with profits," the publication says.

According to the newspaper, strategists from the EU and NATO have focused on the ports of the continent so that they are prepared in case the military alliance needs to deploy a large number of troops to its eastern border. Against this background, governments are seeking to include spending on infrastructure and transportation hubs in their military budgets.

It is specified that at the NATO summit, which starts on June 24 in The Hague, the bloc countries plan to agree on an increase in military spending to 5% of GDP from the current 2%. At the same time, 1.5% is expected to be allocated to "non-lethal areas" that will be related to cybersecurity, ports, roads and railways.

"The EU has proposed spending €75 billion <...> in its next five—year budget to modernize military transport infrastructure for the first time since World War II," writes The Wall Street Journal.

According to the newspaper, European officials want to identify the weaknesses of the ports, which can "hinder the movement of the military." One of the NATO representatives said that the ports should be ready to participate in military exercises on cargo handling. According to EU officials, business and security "can complement each other." This modernization can also benefit civilian traffic flows.

Learning trail: two US ships prematurely left the NATO Baltops-2025 maneuvers

The destroyer Paul Ignatius and the headquarters ship Mount Whitney left the Baltic Sea after the start of the Iran-Israel conflict

On June 20, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that NATO must establish contacts with the states of the Global South, otherwise the meaning of its existence will be lost. According to him, previously the center was "the United States and Europe," but now "there is everything else that needs to be built with relations." Guido also believes that NATO must meet its mission — the alliance was created to ensure peace and mutual defense.