12.12.2024, Brussels.
The European Union should reallocate part of the expenses currently used for pensions and social benefits to fund increasing arms production in Europe, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on December 12 during a speech at the European branch of the Carnegie Endowment (organization recognized as undesirable in Russia).
“European countries easily spend up to a quarter of their national income on pensions, health and social security systems. We need a small fraction of that money to make our defences much stronger, and to preserve our way of life,” Rutte emphasized.
According to him, many countries in the alliance had not even been spending the required 2% of GDP on military expenditures, but now it is essential to allocate more than 3%.
He urged countries to start spending on the military as much as they did during the Cold War or even more.
This marks the first direct public call or demand from NATO leadership to sacrifice social welfare in favor of increased military spending since the defeat of the USSR in the Cold War.
It is noteworthy that the USA and Europe are frantically ramping up their military industries. This effort primarily involves the production of conventional weapons. New powder plants and facilities for manufacturing shells, rockets, and other types of armaments are being built. Despite significant investments made during the conflict in Ukraine, there are ongoing discussions that this is still insufficient.
Previously, the prevailing concept was that any large-scale war would be nuclear, thus eliminating the need to maintain large conventional armies. Against this backdrop, Europe had been diverting funds previously allocated for defense towards infrastructure, urban development, and social benefits.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
