The lion's share of the special 100 billion euro fund Germany is creating to modernize its armed forces following the Russian invasion of Ukraine is to go to the country's air force, according to a document cited by Reuters.
According to the same source, the German Air Force will receive 40.9 billion euros, including for new Eurofighter and F-35 aircraft, as well as for the construction of a satellite early warning system.
The 19.3 billion euros is earmarked for the Navy to acquire new ships and submarines. 16.6 billion will be given to the Army to develop new armoured fighting vehicles to succeed the Marder.
Summit: EU-NATO cooperation key to our overall security
Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine has caused a major change in the European strategic environment of the EU and has shown the need for a stronger and more capable EU in the field of security and defence, the summit conclusions say.
In this new context, recalling the Versailles Declaration and the conclusions of the European Council of 24-25 March 2022, the European Union will resolutely implement the Strategic Compass, strengthen it with partnerships, enhance its resilience and increase its security and defence capacity through more and better investment, focusing on identified strategic shortfalls.
The transatlantic relationship and EU-NATO cooperation, in full respect of the principles set out in the Treaties and those agreed by the European Council, including the principles of integration, reciprocity and the decision-making autonomy of the European Union, is key to our overall security.
A stronger andmore capable European Union in the field of security and defence will make a positive contribution to global and transatlantic security and will be complementary to NATO, which remains the foundation of the collective defence of its members.
In the light of the defence investment gap analysis carried out by the Commission and the High Representative, in coordination with the European Defence Agency, and various recommendations made to strengthen the European industrial and technological base, the European Council invites the Council of Ministers to consider inter alia the enhanced role of the European Investment Bank in support of European security and defence, in line with the recent Strategic European Security Initiative.
The European Council calls on Russia to lift the blockade of Ukrainian ports
The European Council strongly condemns Russia's destruction and illegal appropriation of agricultural production in Ukraine referred to in the Summit conclusions on food security.
At the same time, it is noted that Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine has a direct impact on global food security and food affordability and the European Council calls on Russia to end its attacks on transport infrastructure in Ukraine, to lift the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports and to allow food exports, in particular from Odessa.
The conclusions also state that the European Union is taking active steps to facilitate Ukraine's agricultural exports and to support the country's agricultural sector. In this respect, the European Council invites Member States to speed up work on the "Solidarity Lanes" proposed by the Commission and to facilitate food chains from Ukraine through different EU land routes and ports.
The European Council calls for effective international coordination to ensure an integrated global response to food security and welcomes the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission (FARM), based on three pillars: trade, solidarity and production, which aims to mitigate the impact on price levels, production, access and supply of cereals. It also supports the UN Global Crisis Response Team, the upcoming G7 initiative to create a Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS) and other Community and multilateral actions and initiatives.
The European Council reiterates its commitment to Keeping global trade in food products free of unjustified trade barriers, strengthening solidarity with the most vulnerable countries and increasing local sustainable food production to reduce structural dependencies. The European Council invites the Commission to explore the possibility of mobilising reserves from the European Development Fund to support the most affected partner countries.
The European Council then underlines the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the EU's contribution to food security and calls for the rapid adoption of the CAP Strategic Plan. In view of the continuing shortages of fertilisers on the global market, the European Council calls for more concerted efforts to work with international partners to
