The EU Defence White Paper that outlines the path for the ReArm Europe Programme was published earlier this week. In line with the Commission’s text that has been overwhelming approved in Parliament, the EU White Paper invites EU Member States to join the ReArm programme and the initiatives to arm Ukraine on a voluntary basis. This contradicts Alex Agius Saliba’s current claims in justifying his vote against it.
Basically, a vote against ReArm Europe was a vote against a voluntary initiative that a Member State may take to increase its defence expenditure and supply Ukraine with weapons. Yet, also here, Alex Agius Saliba’s position aligns with the far-right’s position in Europe because he is against, in principle, any form of defence expenditure in Europe, and repeatedly stated that Europe should spend more on social contributions rather than on weaponry. This is not even the position of the left in Europe. The S&D and the Greens voted overwhelmingly in favour of ReArm Europe, and Alex Agius Saliba and his Labour colleagues actually voted against along with the communists and the far-right of the European Parliament.
Basically, both extreme political ends have a pro-Russia foreign policy and are in principle against Europe to defend itself. However the EU Defence White Paper also underscores strategic points that should be considered in Europe’s rearmament and these include a wide range of critical strategic aspects of a nation state that include: technology, access to space, access to critical raw materials and commodities and supply-chains. One can chose for example to opt in the ReArm Defence programme and opt-out of providing weaponry to Ukraine, and this could even be done not just to invest in defence, but also to invest in the strategic aspects of the nation.
The EU Defence White Paper highlights once again that EU member states can chose to activate their National Escape Clause of the Stability and Growth Pact in order to participate in the programme. This means that the Member State’s defence (and strategic expenditure) would be exempt from the Excessive Deficit Procedure giving the Member State more leeway with its finances. Moreover, the white paper encourages Member States to to being joint procurement of defence weaponry.
Note, that the Labour Party’s statements that it is against “borrowing money” on weapons is a blatant lie. The government is increasing its defence expenditure on the Armed Forces of Malta year on year.
The EU Defence White Paper also highlights several important points with regard to international relations. It highlights the importance of the Trans-Atlantic alliance with the US for Europe’s defence. On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron is insisting for complete defence autonomy from the United States and incoming Defence Chancellor Friedrich Merz seems to be warming up to the idea. The white paper also highlights the important strategic relationship with Norway, Canada and Turkey, and Turkey is also described as “s a candidate country for accession to the EU”.
It wouldn’t be unconstitutional for Malta to sign up for the ReArm Europe package, and a new government could still choose to opt in. Opting in would provide Malta with the opportunity to create a new defence industry and address its defence gaps. More importantly, it would include Malta in a strategic European framework that wouldn’t simply be limited to the purchase on weaponry, but that also addresses critical strategic issues such as supply-chains, high-tech, access to space and the access to commodities. On the other hand, the Labour Party is reducing this very important programme as a scheme “to purchase weaponry with borrowed money”.
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