Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who will to be NATO's next secretary-general, was criticized by other European Union leaders at the summit for his opposition to the EU's joint funding of defense projects, Poland's prime minister said, Reuters reported, citing BTA.
Defence was high on the agenda at the European Union summit in Brussels, which began yesterday. The leaders discussed proposals for common funding for defense projects in the bloc, but they met resistance from Rutte and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
On Wednesday, Rutte was confirmed as the next head of NATO and will take over on October 1 from Norway's Jens Stoltenberg, who is stepping down after ten years at the helm of the alliance. Rutte is a staunch defender of Ukraine in its war with Russia.
"Everyone, almost everyone, reminded Mark Rutte that he will soon take over the role of NATO Secretary General and that he must do everything possible to make sure that Europe does not skimp on money and resources (for defense) ", Donald Tusk told reporters.
"He's a strong person, a seasoned politician, but I saw a blush on his face after everyone paid attention to him: "Wait a minute, man, you have to mobilize everyone to spend more, not less, on defense ."
After the summit, Rutte told reporters that discussions on defense funding had been "difficult".
"It is clear that some countries opposed the idea, which was not formally presented but which was very much in the air, of using Eurobonds for defense spending," he said. "The Germans, we, I was very against it, but we reached joint conclusions."
The Netherlands has long advocated fiscal discipline in the 27-member bloc and is opposed to issuing joint debt.
Scholz said after the summit that the European Union should not be involved in financing arms purchases or national defense budgets, but should focus its efforts on promoting better coordination of the defense industry.
Tusk said he was "very angry" of the arguments he has heard against common funding of defense projects.
This year, Poland spent about 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, the highest percentage in NATO.