“More action, more financing and more cooperation”, must be the EU’s goals, she argued.

“First, we need to do more to protect Europe.”

“Russia can still produce more weapons in three months than we can in twelve. We need to do more, much more, to ramp up defence production and increase our defence industrial readiness. We can do all this in a way that respects the constitutional specificities of Member States. The best investment in European security is investing in the security of Ukraine.”

“Second, we need to do more to finance this protection.”

“Investing in security, is not just about protection – it is about boosting European competitiveness, driving growth, creating quality high-skilled jobs and powering everyday breakthroughs that improve how we live, work and connect.

“Public funding can take us far but we know it will not be enough. This makes mobilising private capital essential. When it comes to the EIB’s mandate, the European Parliament has long…