In a keynote address at the 16th European Economic Congress in the city of Katowice, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined plans to enhance the European defense industry over the next five years, advocating increased spending and utilization of European funds to ensure the production of military capabilities within Europe. The head of the European Commission also emphasized the necessity of establishing a “truly European air defense system.”
Later, von der Leyen told reporters that if she is elected to head the European Commission once more, she will nominate a commissioner for European defense “who will be responsible for the arms industry and better market coordination.”
She made similar remarks back in February when she said that a new defense commissioner would be responsible for the arms industry, R&D, and security.
There is currently no commissioner with such a role, and the war in Ukraine has presented the EU with new challenges, which, according to von der Leyen, make such a post essential.
However, Josep Borrell, the commission’s top diplomat, disagrees, saying that security is part of his brief and a new post is not required. Former deputy foreign minister in the last Law and Justice (PiS) government, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, took to social media noting Borrell’s opinion and asking the rhetorical question about which member of Donald Tusk’s government would leave his job to fulfill such a new role.
President Andrzej Duda’s aide Małgorzata Paprocka was less coy and named current Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski as someone who “has been signaling that he would be interested in such a post.”
In March of this year, Donald Tusk himself said that if the post of European defense commissioner contained a portfolio and instruments that would strengthen Europe, it would be “an interesting proposition for Poland’s current foreign minister Radosław Sikorski.”
