The idea of declaring a state of emergency in the EU was presented during a closed meeting with national leaders on Monday.
According to Politico, this decision will enable EU governments to deviate from established spending limits in "exceptional circumstances" without violating the union's financial agreements.
In her address, von der Leyen noted that Europe is experiencing "exceptional times," justifying the need for special measures. She also emphasized that she is utilizing all available flexibility under the Stability and Growth Pact to allow for increased defense spending. This will enable EU countries to respond more effectively to global threats, particularly the rising military activity from Russia and the diminishing security guarantees from the United States.
One of the key points is the proposal to exclude defense spending from the national budget deficit. Although von der Leyen did not provide details on how this will be implemented, EU officials explained that this would allow countries to spend more on defense without altering the overall agreements on national expenditures reached last year after lengthy negotiations.
"If the increase in [spending] is related to defense, they can argue that these are exceptional times. I mean, we are currently a threat to Russia, and the security guarantees for Europe from the United States seem to have weakened," stated Zsolt, a senior fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.
Source: politico.