In today's joint debate on European Council meetings and European security, ECR Co-Chairman Nicola Procaccini expressed his group's support for the EU Commission's defence plans.

“The European Council is a step back to reality, which we welcome”.

However, Mr Procaccini called for the title of the programme to be changed: “Let’s not call it ‘ReArm EU’, but ‘Defend EU’, because the peace and freedom we enjoy must be defended, and defence is not only about weapons, but also about strategic infrastructure, raw materials, communication systems and technological innovation,” said Mr Procaccini.

Mr Procaccini also highlighted the contradictions in Europe’s approach to security, particularly in relation to energy policy. While European countries call for stronger defence measures, they continue to import energy from Russia, indirectly financing its military aggression against Ukraine. “When Trump says that the European Union has given more money to Putin than to Zelenskyy, he’s telling the truth. I hope this hypocrisy will end once and for all,” he said.

Mr Procaccini also stressed that European defence cannot be separated from its alliance with the United States: “Politicians and lawmakers come and go, but the West remains and must remain for a long time.”

Mr Procaccini’s full speech reads:

Thank you, President. The European Council represents a step in the journey back to reality, which we welcome. Yes, we would have liked greater clarity on the sources of financing for the plan, on long-term planning, and on its integration within the overall framework of the Atlantic Alliance.

Considering ReArm EU a retaliation against Trump and the USA is a tragic mistake, just as it would be to see it as a concession to the Trump administration. Investing in defence and security is an act of dignity for our nations and a mark of respect for our international allies. It was Obama and Biden before Trump who asked Europe not to rely solely on the sacrifices of the American working class, and what was Europe’s response? The Green Deal—a massively expansive welfare system—tariffs on American cars, and some moral lessons towards those who ensured our security with their own money and even their own blood.

Macron is right when he says that imagining the European Union as the only herbivorous power in a world of carnivores is pure Utopia. The problem is that we don’t stop breeding carnivores. Look at the European imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia. Do you know how much France alone has increased its LNG purchases in the past year? By 81 percent. Money that Putin uses for the missiles with which he bombs Ukraine daily. When Trump says that the European Union has given more money to Putin than to Zelenskyy, he’s telling the truth. I hope this hypocrisy ends once and for all.

The Italian Prime Minister is right. Let’s not call it ‘ReArm EU,’ but ‘Defend EU,’ because the peace and freedom we enjoy must be defended, and defence is not only about weapons but also about strategic infrastructure, raw materials, communication systems, and technological innovations. Meloni is right again, and not only her, when she states that European defence detached from American allies and NATO is unthinkable.

Politicians and legislatures come and go, but the West remains and must remain for a long time. We are bound by a common past and a common destiny. As the Latin said: Simal stabunt, simal cadent