00:00The European way of life, our democracies, the democratic foundations and the trust of
00:07our citizens is being challenged in new ways, on everything from territories to tariffs
00:13to tech regulations.
00:17Fundamentally, all of this points to a simple reality in today's fractured world.
00:24Europe must become more independent, there is no other choice.
00:32Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be here with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,
00:41an unflinching ally and friend.
00:45Dear Kier, we both know the backdrop of our discussion.
00:49The nature of transatlantic relations.
00:54We are now almost four years into the reckless aggression against Ukraine by Russia.
01:02We face the very distinct threat of outside forces trying to weaken our union from within.
01:10The return of overtly hostile competition and power relations.
01:16The European way of life, our democracies, the democratic foundations, and the trust of
01:24our citizens is being challenged in new ways.
01:27On everything from territories to tariffs to tech regulations.
01:34Fundamentally, all of this points to a simple reality in today's fractured world.
01:42Europe must become more independent, there is no other choice.
01:53Independent in every dimension that affects our security and prosperity, defence and energy,
02:00economy and trade, raw materials and digital tech.
02:07Some may say the word independence runs counter to our transatlantic bond.
02:13The opposite is true, and we have just heard it from State Secretary Rubio.
02:19An independent Europe is a strong Europe.
02:23And a strong Europe makes for a stronger transatlantic alliance.
02:28Today is the time for action and I want to focus on Europe's plan for independence.
02:34And to help frame this, I will borrow a line by Jerry Freytam, the U.S. Assistant Secretary
02:42of Defense, spoken here in Munich in the 70s.
02:47I quote, unless a nation feels itself primarily responsible for its own security and wellbeing,
02:56it will leave the task to others and fail to marshal its resources and political will
03:03in its own defence.
03:05I chose this line from the 70s because it reflects some uncomfortable truth over many decades about
03:15how Europe's security was not always seen as our primary responsibility.
03:22But this has fundamentally changed.
03:26Also because the very same argument is true today, Europe needs to step up and has to take
03:34on its responsibility.
03:37Admittedly, it has taken some shock therapy and some lines have been crossed that cannot
03:44be uncrossed anymore.
03:45But what is needed, at least, we all agree on.
03:53And we are delivering.
03:55The numbers tell their own story.
03:59Defence spending in 2025 in Europe was up close to 80 per cent since before the war in Ukraine.
04:08The European Union is mobilising up to 800 billion euros.
04:14With our SAFE programme, we are investing in the capabilities we need from air and missile defence
04:21to drones and military mobility, you just name it.
04:26We have remained relentless and creative in the way we maintain our support for Ukraine.
04:34And this includes most recently our 90 billion euro loan that Ukraine has only to pay back if
04:42Russia pays reparations.
04:45By 2028, defence investment in Europe is even projected to exceed the amount the US spent on
04:53such equipment last year.
04:56This is a true European awakening.
05:00And this is only the start of what we need to do.
05:03We must grow European backbone of strategic enablers in space, intelligence and deep-striped capabilities.
05:15No taboo can go unchallenged.
05:18I believe the time has come to bring Europe's mutual defence clause to life.
05:25Mutual defence is not an optional task for the European Union.
05:31It is an obligation within our own treaty, Article 42.7.
05:38And for good reason, it is our collective commitment to stand by each other in case of aggression.
05:46Or in simple terms, one for all and all for one.
05:52And this is Europe's meaning.
05:56But the commitment only carries weight if it is built on trust and capabilities.
06:04And this is why we must be collectively ready.
06:08We must make decisions faster.
06:11And this may mean relying on the result of qualified majority rather than unanimity.
06:18And we do not need to change the treaty for that.
06:21We need to use the one we have.
06:24And we have to be creative.
06:27Take the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, which is outside but complementary to NATO.
06:38It brings together ten European countries to deter and reassure in the high north of the
06:44Baltic region with an operational command in northward UK.
06:50Or take the Coalition of the Willing, led by Dukir and President Macron, headquartered in Paris.
06:59This coalition is devising meaningful security guarantees for Ukraine.
07:06More than 30 countries, some not even in Europe, are involved.
07:12And these examples tell us that this can work.
07:18But what we need now to do is to formalise the ad-hoc beginnings of new security collaborations.
07:27This starts by working, of course, with our closest partners like the UK or Norway or Iceland or Canada.
07:35The European Union now has a full range of defence and security partnerships with countries around the world and we
07:46want to increase our offer to many of these vital partners.
07:50This means, in this actually volatile time, Europe and in particular the UK should come closer on security, on economy,
08:05on defending our democracies.
08:08This means, ten years from Brexit, our futures are as bound as ever, dear Kier.
08:18So, it is in our common interest to be ambitious about our partnership, because the UK and the European Union,
08:27in fact, all of Europe, we are in this together and we will always stick together.
08:34Here, this is the common promise.
08:38And this brings me to my second priority.
08:42The need for a new European security strategy.
08:47I believe we must urgently recalibrate the way we use our entire policy toolbox – trade, finance, standards, data, critical
08:59infrastructure, tech platforms and information.
09:03In essence, each and every one of our policies needs a clear security dimension in this new world order.
09:13We in Europe should be ready and willing to use our strengths assertively and proactively to protect our security interests.
09:25We need a new doctrine for this with a simple goal – to ensure that Europe can defend its own
09:33territory, economy, democracy and way of life at all times.
09:41Because this is ultimately the true meaning of independence.
09:49Ladies and gentlemen, so how do we bring all of this to life?
09:56For the answer, I look to Ukraine.
10:00Ukraine has shown that strength and deterrence and ultimately lives depend on industrial capacity, producing, scaling and sustaining the effort
10:14over time.
10:16And they say in Ukraine, you change or die.
10:22We must adopt this mantra too.
10:25We need to tear down the rigid wall between the civilian and defence sector.
10:31Europe is a powerhouse for car manufacturing, aerospace and heavy machinery.
10:37We should not look at these industries as purely commercial, but as core to the defence and the defence value
10:48chain.
10:50We have inspiring European defence tech champions.
10:54We just need to incentivise them.
10:56This is especially true for the dual-use tech fields – AI, cyber, drones, space.
11:05Their journey to market must be rapid.
11:09This is another battlefield lesson from Ukraine.
11:13And that's why the EU's new Defence Innovation Office in Kyiv is merging European scale with Ukrainian speed and ingenuity.
11:27And with this approach, we can close our capability gaps quickly.
11:33Drones, for example, are the most obvious of these examples.
11:37They are inflicting around 80% of battlefield damages on both sides in Ukraine.
11:45So we are massively investing and speeding up innovation and production in this area.
11:51Or look at command and control.
11:54We know that we have too many different weapon systems – tanks, jets, ships.
12:01But new technologies like AI and software can help forge interoperability between member states, NATO and the European Union.
12:12And this is what Europe is good at.
12:16We have all agreed to spend more.
12:19We need now to get the money out the door and turn this into real defence capabilities.
12:28Some ask whether we can afford this.
12:32But I say we cannot afford not to.
12:39And if we get it right – and we will – we will turbocharge a new industrial deal that will
12:48not only keep us safe, but be an engine of growth delivering prosperity for Europeans for decades to come.
12:57So, yes, there is a lot at stake for Europe, but there is so much potential to seize too.
13:06Ladies and gentlemen, I have spoken a lot about equipment, investment, doctrine.
13:13But I would like to leave you with a last thought from Ewald von Kleist.
13:19It is from an address he gave standing outside the Reichstag, speaking to new recruits in 2010.
13:29He knew better than most that peace could never be taken for granted.
13:37And investing in security is never just about hardware.
13:42It goes far beyond.
13:44As he put it, peace and freedom – these two are interlinked.
13:51And it has to be the goal of security policy to protect them.
13:57End of quote.
13:58Peace and freedom – this is what Ukraine is fighting for today.
14:05We must honour their sacrifice with our quest for an independent Europe.
14:11And it will always remain Europe's response and purpose, our union's raison d'être.
14:19Thank you very much and long live Europe!
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