Europe must stand on its own feet  

Thank you to the European Policy Centre for hosting this Forum at a pivotal moment for Europe.

To paraphrase Harold Wilson, at the moment it feels like an hour— not a week — is a long time in politics. What matters now is what Europe does next. The fact is, we can’t let our future be decided by others. Until we take full charge of our own security, we can never truly feel safe. So the only two questions that matter now are: how do we do it, and how fast can we get there?

It’s hard to overstate how critical this moment is. And for those who like three-word slogans, I will offer one: we need Confidence, Courage and Cooperation. 

We need Confidence, because we must believe in Europe’s ability to rise to this challenge. Look at how we weaned ourselves off Russian gas in record time — now we must show that same determination in boosting our defence capabilities.

We need Courage, because the threat that we face is serious, expectations are high, and we must have the ambition and the tools to match these expectations. We cannot allow short-term politics to stand in the way of our long-term security. And that means we need to make the tough choices to keep Europe safe now. 

And finally, we need more Cooperation, because our strength is in our unity. Individually, on the global stage, we are all small players. But together, we are a force to be reckoned with. This is in fact not about slogans, it’s about real and ambitious solutions. Nothing can be off the table. Like with our response to the pandemic, exceptional circumstances call for exceptional decisions.

We are the co-legislator and the budgetary authority, and as that authority, we at the European Parliament have a responsibility to make sure that our laws, our funding, and our policies reflect the urgency of this moment. And let me tell you this very clear: we will not shy away from this responsibility. It is the Parliament that offers the democratic legitimacy to the decisions taken at EU level. That is how and that is why we find majorities, sometimes with difficulty, to lead. 

In the Parliament, our priority must be Ukraine. It is important to underline that the people of Ukraine are not alone. And we will continue to stand with Ukraine for a just and lasting peace, just as we have done since day one. 

A lot has been written and said about Ukraine, Europe and the United States in the last days. But if I can sum it up, ultimately, we all want the same thing: we all want an end to this war and we all want lasting stability. 

We all want peace in Ukraine. But at the end of the day, this peace must be a real one: with freedom and dignity. With security for Ukraine. 

Because what was true three years remains true today: if Kyiv falls, Europe and the world will be less secure, it will be less safe and it will be less prosperous. The cost would be eye-wateringly higher than now. For all of us, and for our children.

Supporting Ukraine is a way to ensure that does not happen. It is necessary — not out of charity — but out of our duty to keep Europe safe.  We must continue to do that.

We are all determined to ensure that we find a formula that allows for real peace, that lasts beyond the immediate, and that balances responsibilities. In other words, a way forward that deters an aggressor from simply waiting a few months or years before continuing to take over sovereign nations by force. That guarantees Ukraine's independence today, and tomorrow.

Second, Europe must get serious about its own defence. We need two things: we need the will, and we need the wallet.

We all understand that in this new world, Europe must spend more on defence and ensure better interoperability of our forces. We must all be ready to take decisions, however painful, and put our money where our mouth is. And we are doing that: by action, and not talk.

Since 2021, Member States have already increased their defence budgets by 31%. That’s good, and we’re moving in the right direction. But we know it’s still not enough. Russia spends 9% of its GDP on defence. So in three months, they make more weapons than we do in a year. So we need to spend more, and spend smarter.

This isn’t just about security, by the way — it is also about European competitiveness, and it’s about our often forgotten term “strategic autonomy”. Many of the technologies we use today — like GPS, drones, the internet — came from the defence sector. Yet today, we buy almost 80% of our defence equipment from outside the European Union. If we invested more in our European defence, we would drive innovation, we would boost our economy, and we would create high-skilled jobs in the process. 

The European Parliament understands this. As co-legislator, we have adopted regulations to ramp up ammunition production, and reinforce our defence industry through joint procurement. And we’ve done this in record time. Any reallocation of funds for defence inside the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) will go through Parliament, and we will step up to the plate. We’re also now starting to negotiate the next MFF, so we have a golden opportunity to better align our budget with our strategic priorities. It’s clear for example that instruments like the European Defence Fund and the European Defence Industrial Programme, both in the immediate and in the longer term, must be strengthened.

But public funding alone won’t cut it, and we will need to mobilise quickly private capital. That is why the Parliament has been pushing for new financing tools. There are plenty of ideas on the table. We have called for the European Investment Bank to update its eligibility criteria so that military equipment — beyond just dual-use — can receive financing. And while we have seen some movement in this regard, more could still be done to maximise the EIB’s role. The ‘national escape clause’ is a very important tool, this would give the Member States the flexibility they need to invest in defence without breaking fiscal rules. These are all discussions that are on the table, that we will discuss together at the Special European Council this Thursday on 6 March. As I said before, nothing can be off the table.

But while funding is important — and it is — we know that just throwing money at the problem won’t fix it, if we don’t change the way we approach defence together. This brings me to my third point: Europe needs deeper integration in defence. 

Right now, fragmentation is costing us billions: between 25 and 75 billion euros every year is lost to duplication and inefficiencies. It makes no sense for Europe to have 178 different weapons systems, when the United States has 30. The answer is staring us right in the face. We need more ‘bang for our buck’: that means we need a single market for defence, with simpler rules for our businesses. This will streamline production, it will enhance interoperability, and it will close those critical capability gaps. We’ve done it in other industries, extremely successfully — so we can do so in defence too.

And finally, we must strengthen our alliances. We saw unity in action on Sunday at the London summit hosted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, bringing together the leaders of Europe, the UK, Norway, and Canada. These are key strategic partners for us. This moment in history has undoubtedly brought us closer together, and that is something we must now build on. 

Of course, our transatlantic relationship remains vital. The United States is one of Europe’s oldest and closest allies, and our partnership matters now, more than ever. 

Europe and the United States may not always immediately agree on everything, our approaches may differ sometimes but I’d like to quote U.S. founding father Thomas Jefferson who said that "Not every difference of opinion is a difference of principle". Our transatlantic partnership, I am convinced, will last. I have learned to never underestimate the following: Ukrainian bravery and courage; the United States' ability to negotiate and close a deal; European resolve to never allow another European generation to be lost behind an Iron Curtain. 

NATO will always be the bedrock of our collective security. The EU and NATO share 23 members. But we must complement our efforts, not duplicate them. The NATO summit in The Hague this June will be crucial in reinforcing the European pillar of NATO, and with Mark Rutte as Secretary General, we have a strong ally to push for greater EU-NATO alignment. 

At the end of the day, Europe must also stand on its own two feet. And that means: more support to Ukraine, more defence investment, closer cooperation, so that countries ready to move ahead can do so. The road won’t be easy, but easy has never changed the world.

I believe in Europe. I believe in our ability to defend ourselves, and to shape our own future. Now is the time to act — with ambition, with urgency, and with unity. To get there, we will need Confidence, Courage, and above all, Cooperation. And at every step, you will find a very enthusiastic, very effective European Parliament pushing this agenda forward.

Thank you.