EU Paves Way for Rise in European Defense Spending

With the United States pulling back, European nations are increasing defense spending and trying to raise investment in the continent’s own defense industries.

A French soldier takes part in a major drill as part of NATO's "enhanced forward presence" (EFP) deployment in Poland and the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, at the Tapa Estonian army camp near Rakvere, Estonia, on Feb. 5, 2022. Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has approved the relaxation of fiscal rules to allow European Union countries to spend more on defense.

“Let there be no room for any doubt, I believe when it comes to European security, Europe has to do more, Europe must bring more to the table, and to achieve this, we need a surge in European defense spending,” Von der Leyen said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14.