EU Commission proposes joint borrowing as part of 800 billion euro defence plan

4/3/2025 19:09

The European Commission proposed on Tuesday new joint European Union borrowing of 150 billion euros ($157.76 billion) to lend to EU governments for

defence as part of an overall 800 billion financing effort to boost Europe's defence capabilities.



European leaders are under huge pressure to increase defence spending as U.S. President Donald Trump's return to power has delivered a rude wake-up call that they cannot blindly rely on Washington.



The joint borrowing would go towards building pan-European capability domains like air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems or to address other needs from cyber to military mobility, the Commission said.