BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - According to plans by the EU Commission, EU member states should buy more defense equipment from European manufacturers in order to reduce their dependence on US companies. "Member states should reverse the current trend of purchasing the vast majority of their defense systems from non-European industrial suppliers," the "Handelsblatt" newspaper quoted from an as yet unpublished draft of the EU's defense industry strategy.

The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has made the military and industrial deficits of the Europeans clear. The Union must quickly improve its defense readiness.

The Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the EU Parliament, David McAllister, spoke of an "important cornerstone for a better functioning internal market for defense equipment". In times of increasing geopolitical tensions, a joint European approach to industrial policy issues relating to defense policy is needed. "This is precisely where the European Defense Industrial Strategy (EDIS) comes in - building on the analysis of our defense policy investment gaps, the experience with the European Defense Fund and the expansion of our industrial capacities to support Ukraine," the CDU politician told the German Press Agency.

The aim of the strategy is to make spending more efficient and collaborative, to increase the operational readiness of the defense industry and to ensure the security of supply of defense equipment. However, it is important that NATO is embedded./svv/DP/jha