Europe needs to be able to deter potential invaders by 2030, the EU executive has said as it launched a push to buy more weapons in the bloc and from allied countries, rather than from the US. The UK, US and Turkey will be excluded from defense contracts funded by a 150bn EU loans program, unless they sign a security and defense partnership agreement with the EU. The 150bn loans scheme will be open to EU member states as part of a massive surge in defense spending, but 65% of the costs of equipment funded must come from suppliers in the EU, Norway or Ukraine. The rest could be spent in non-EU countries with a security agreement.

As real as it can get': EU to loan 150bn for European defence from invasion[image or embed]

" The Guardian (@theguardian.com) March 19, 2025 at 10:33 PM