Vice President of the European Commission Margrethe Vestager said the new system should allow the EU to move from a crisis response regime to a structural defense readiness regime that closely integrates Ukraine”.
“It is also a signal about the future of Ukraine as a member of the EU to say that Ukrainian defense capability is part of this ecosystem,” she said.
The main reforms in the EU countries relate to regulating the EU’s defense market and the transition to joint production and procurement. Currently, defense spending by member states is being mainly conducted outside the EU. By 2030, the EU must spend at least 50% of its defense budget within the EU and 60% by 2035.
The introduction of the joint procurement scheme should allow cost savings due to the abolition of the value-added tax. It is planned that by 2030, the EU will purchase at least 40% of its defense equipment within the framework of joint procurement.