Blinken urges EU to consider defence beyond Ukraine

Good morning from Paris,

The EU must strengthen its defence industrial base and look beyond Ukraine’s immediate military needs to more sustainable and long-term production, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday during a visit to Paris.

“It’s an investment in ourselves […] the challenges that we’re seeing in Ukraine are not going to go away tomorrow, and we need to make sure our defences are as strong as possible”, Blinken noted ahead of NATO’s 75th anniversary on Thursday.

Reporting from Paris, Théo Bourgery-Gonse has the story.

Meanwhile, concerned about a future US president reluctant to support Kyiv, NATO considers safety net plans for Ukraine, writes Aurélie Pugnet, and Ukraine decided to lower the mobilisation age for combat duty ahead of the anticipated Russian offensive.

Last but not least, Charles Szumski reports that the Norwegian government has expressed its intention to increase the number of conscripts by 50% each year.

OSLO

Norway wants to increase the number of conscripts by 50% each year. The Norwegian government announced on Tuesday it will increase the number of military conscripts by modernising infrastructure and creating new positions within the defence forces. Read more.

MADRID

Spain could recognise Palestinian statehood before summer. Spain could recognise the Palestinian state before next July, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Tuesday, as he faces pressure from his political ally in government, the progressive Sumar platform, to get Spain’s Council of Ministers to back recognition before EU elections in June. Read more.

Spanish PM asks Israel to ‘clarify’ Gaza strike on humanitarian aid workers. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday demanded Israel clarify the circumstances of what he called a ‘brutal’ air strike on central Gaza, which claimed the lives of seven volunteers from the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK), run by Spanish chef José Andrés. Read more.

BRATISLAVA

Slovakia’s ruling coalition party has proposed an amendment to the country’s NGO law that would introduce the labelling of organisations receiving more than €5,000 a year in foreign funding as ‘organisations with foreign support’ – a move criticised by Slovak NGOs, who are urging the government not to follow Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s lead. Read more.

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WARSAW

Poland’s EU enthusiasm fades. Poles are much less enthusiastic about EU membership than they were in 2020 – a year after the previous EU election – according to the latest opinion poll, even though the recent elections that went in favour of pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk would suggest otherwise. Read more.

BUCHAREST

Traffic jams and border queues continue at the Danube border crossings because, although Romania and Bulgaria have joined the Schengen area for their air and sea borders, most border crossings on the Danube are still considered land borders and are subject to border controls. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgarians retirees predicted to increase to 27.6% in a decade. Bulgarians over 65 currently make up 23.5% of the country’s population and are expected to rise to 27.6% by 2034 and 31% by the end of 2060, according to data on the share of people of retirement age published by the National Statistical Institute. Read more.

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ANKARA

Turkey replaces Kurdish mayor with government candidate two days after vote. Turkish authorities on Tuesday prevented the newly elected mayor of a pro-Kurdish party taking up his post and announced a re-run vote in another district where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party lost, prompting legal challenges and opposition condemnation. Read more.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Liene Lūsīte, Alice Taylor]