European Union is prepared to act swiftly in relaxing spending regulations for defence

The European Commission is poised to swiftly introduce proposals aimed at relaxing budgetary regulations to support increased defence expenditures by member states, according to EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on Tuesday.

“We must act promptly regarding member states’ spending and the need for additional flexibility. We anticipate working on the specifics in the upcoming weeks to ensure we can proceed rapidly,” Dombrovskis stated prior to a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels.

Last week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated that the commission would suggest exempting defense spending from EU government expenditure limits, responding to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for Europe to enhance its defense financing. Von der Leyen noted that the removal of restrictions on military spending would align with the precedent set by lifting borrowing limits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, not all European governments are in favor of this approach, with some arguing that defense already receives special consideration under existing regulations.

Poland, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency and influences the bloc’s agenda, contended earlier this month that the prevailing view of defense investment as solely related to equipment like tanks or aircraft is overly restrictive.

Poland’s Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski expressed confidence on Tuesday that defense spending could be increased without compromising the integrity of the EU’s fiscal framework. “Maintaining credibility is essential. We believe we can operate within the existing rules,” he remarked before the Brussels meeting. “We need to clearly define these rules so that countries wishing to increase their spending can do so without violating fiscal regulations. Europe must invest more and take our security and defense much more seriously.”