“To those who argue that Ukraine should accept Putin’s peace terms, I would suggest that they consider the possibility of offer Putin territory of his own country. That is what they must do. Peace can only be achieved if Ukraine wins and its territorial sovereignty is defended, and that This will only be achieved with our support for much longer”.
This is one of the last and most combative speeches as a MEP in the European Parliament by the veteran Andrius Kubelius (Vilnius, 67 years old), from the family of the European People’s Party, to which Ursula von der Leyen has just appointed the first ever EU defence commissioner. A new post that the President of the European Executive has decided to create in her second term after the war in Ukraine uncovered the Huge shortcomings of the EU military industry.
Kubilius was a prominent figure in the Lithuania’s struggle for independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. A physicist by training, his political career began as executive secretary of the pro-independence Sajudis movement. He also He was afraid to stand up to Moscow during his time as Prime Minister (in two terms, between 1999 and 2000 and between 2008 and 2012). And during his time in the European Parliament since 2019 he has become a ‘Hawk’ who advocates a firm hand without concessions against the Kremlin: include Russian liquefied natural gas (which Spain buys) on the sanctions list or permanently confiscate the 210 billion euros of Russian Bank assets frozen in Europe.
[Bruselas asigna apenas 1.500 millones a su primera Estrategia Industrial de Defensa]
For Von der Leyen, The war in Ukraine “has destroyed many illusions in Europe”: the illusion that peace had been achieved once and for all, the illusion that Europe was doing enough in terms of security, whether from a security point of view, “he said in a recent speech. Although he had already defended a “geopolitical Commission” since his first term, the German has made security one of the two pillars (along with economic competitiveness) of the 2024-2029 legislature. A priority aggravated by the possibility that the isolationism of Donald Trump win the elections in November.
However, Von der Leyen entrusts Kubelius with a practically impossible mission.He is not a Minister of Defense nor will he lead any Army“, writes Guntram Wolf, analyst at the think tank Bruegel. Defence is one of the last bastions of national sovereignty and cooperation in this area at European level is more the exception than the rule. Moreover, its functions overlap to a large extent with those of the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security. Common SecurityEstonian Kaja Kallas, who will effectively be his boss.
The President of the Commission admits that Defense is a “sensitive” portfoliobecause there are areas that are “purely national competence”. At the same time, Kubilius will have room for manoeuvre in three areas in which the Community Executive has competence: R&D, military mobility and the arms industry, according to Community sources.
The main problem that Lithuania will face is financing. Von der Leyen herself has estimated that around 500 billion euros the extra cost of updating the European military industry. In his first public statements after his appointmentKubilius has declared himself in favour of exploring the issuance of Eurobonds for defensean option that is rejected outright by Germany, the Netherlands and the rest of the frugal countries. The new Defence Commissioner also proposes removing restrictions on the European Investment Bank (EIB) of Nadia Calviño being able to finance the military industry.
Ursula von der Leyen met her new team of commissioners for the first time on Wednesday
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Kubilius –who speaks fluent English and Russian– is married to Rasa Kubiliene, a violinist in the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. The couple has two children and three grandchildren. His main hobbies include reading and cycling. In fact, he was cycling in northern Estonia when he received the call from the Prime Minister announcing his appointment as Commissioner. He was not expecting it: the favourite was the current Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergisson of another of Lithuania’s independence heroes, but was vetoed by the president.
In the letter defining her mandate, Von der Leyen has asked her to draw up a White Paper on the future of European defence The new Defence Commissioner will also be tasked with encouraging joint purchases of military equipment by Member States and launching projects of common European interest, starting with a European Air Shield and cyber defence, during the first 100 days of his mandate.
“Our work over the next five years will focus on building a genuine European Defence Union,” said the President.
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