EU nations should switch to joint arms production, procurement – Commissioner

According to Ukrinform's own correspondent, Hahn stated this while addressing the Austrian Parliament on the occasion of Eure Day.

"The painful situation of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East has already been mentioned several times today. And to all those who believe that Eure, the Eurean Union can stand aside, I must say this would be the most fatal thing we could do. After all, when it comes to Ukraine, for example, we are also talking about protecting our freedom," he said.

Read also: Ukraine already producing artillery rounds but still relying on international supplies – minister

The Eurean Commissioner stressed that the viation of a country’s territorial integrity is unacceptable as it stands against the global rule-based order.

Hahn is convinced the EU should continue to support Ukraine because it is also about its own protection.

Speaking about supporting Ukraine and strengthening its capabilities, Hahn noted that the EU countries should move to joint production of weapons and their joint procurement in order to save budget funds and "minimize fragmentation of the various weapons systems we have in Eure."

"Should just 40% of the annual procurement of defense investments be made jointly, it could annually save over EUR 24 billion," said the Eurean Commissioner.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Eurean Commission transferred EUR 1.5 billion to Ukraine within the framework of the Ukraine Facility worth a total of EUR 50 billion, created within the EU’s multi-year budget.

The total vume of EU financial assistance for Ukraine since February 2022 has reached EUR 98.5 billion.