Von der Leyen: We must mobilize the EU's resources to defend democracy

(Patria) - In the new geopolitical context, Europe has two paths it can take - continue as before or seize the moment and mobilize the vast resources it has to defend democracy, stated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a letter to the leaders of EU member states.

"We have two possible paths ahead of us. The first consists of going through this period by adopting a managerial approach that allows us to react to the situation on the ground, in Ukraine or elsewhere, fragmentarily or gradually," Von der Leyen wrote to EU leaders ahead of an extraordinary summit, which will be held on Thursday and is exclusively dedicated to European defense and support for Ukraine.

"The second is to seize the opportunity, to mobilize the vast resources that Europe has, to summon our collective spirit to defend democracy. I believe this second option is our only choice. That is, after all, our purpose," the letter states.

The Commission President says that the second option requires unleashing Europe's industrial and production capacity and directing it towards security.

"Security is what our prosperity rests upon and what our freedom depends on. Therefore, we must establish deterrence against those who try to harm us," the letter reads.

The Commission President states that "Europe is very grateful" to the United States for its support and the role it has played for decades in its security.

"As President of the Commission, strong relations with the United States are one of my main goals, bilaterally and through the G7 group," she points out, adding that the context in which we find ourselves today is radically and drastically changing.

"The foundations on which the entire post-war European political and economic order was built have been shaken to their core. And when the European order is shaken, history teaches us that the entire international system can be destabilized," Von der Leyen's letter states.

In her letter to the leaders of the member states, the Commission President presented a five-point plan for arming Europe, which could mobilize close to 800 billion euros.

The largest part of this amount, around 650 billion euros, would be provided by member states from their budgets, and the remaining 150 billion would be secured through joint borrowing.