Merz announced before the summit that the European side wanted to “send a signal of unity and strength.” The focus is on greater responsibility of the European allies for common security. “We want to make NATO more European overall,” the chancellor said at the security cabinet meeting. This reduces one-sided transatlantic dependencies.
Defense Spending and Armaments Cooperation
The heads of state and government will also review the implementation of the increase in defense spending decided in The Hague in 2025. Planned are expenditures of 3.5 percent of gross domestic product for defense and 1.5 percent for defense-related areas such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. Expanding the defense industry and closer cooperation on armaments projects are also on the agenda.
Further military support for Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression is a central topic.
Source: Bundesregierung
