Europe's security is Europe's responsibility
Ahead of the Munich Security Conference (13-15 February), where they will participate, two leading Renew Europe MEPs on defence issues, emphasised in plenary the urgent need for Europe to strengthen its defence readiness in response to mounting security threats and shifting global alliances.
The Renew Europe Group is urging the European Union to accelerate the creation of a genuine European defence capacity in response to mounting security threats and shifting global alliances.
Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the unreliability of traditional partners, and hybrid attacks have fundamentally altered Europe's security landscape. The current geopolitical reality demands that Europe takes full responsibility for its own defence.
Russia wants neither peace in Ukraine nor peace in Europe. The United States is no longer a reliable ally. We can only count on ourselves, and we will only ensure our security if we are united," said MEP Nathalie Loiseau (Horizons, France), Renew Europe's coordinator for the committee on Security & Defence. "Those who dismiss European strategic autonomy as unrealistic are simply encouraging Europe to remain dependent on partners we can no longer rely upon."
Nathalie LoiseauRenew Europe MEP, France, Horizons
Renew Europe is calling for coordinated EU investment in defence production, improved military supply chains, and enhanced infrastructure for military mobility across the continent. The group emphasizes the need for a true "military Schengen" with simplified procedures, alongside the development of priority military corridors extending to Ukraine.
MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP, Germany), chair of the committee on security and defence, stressed both the urgency and Ukraine's immediate needs: "The Ukrainian people do not want praise for their resilience, they need concrete help: more air defence, more ammunition, weapons systems capable of neutralising Russian military targets. Less talk, more action. Peace can only be achieved through strength, for Ukraine and for Europe. We must be faster and more coordinated. This also means ramping up industrial production. It protects us and creates jobs."
Marie-Agnes Strack-ZimmermannRenew Europe MEP, Germany, Freie Demokratische Partei
With EU member states set to spend €6.8 trillion on defence by 2035, Renew Europe advocates for strategic European defence projects that no single member state could achieve alone - including air defence systems, drones, missiles, and space capabilities.
The group maintains that a stronger European defence pillar will reinforce NATO while ensuring Europe's ability to act independently when necessary.