European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels on February 3 to discuss defense strategies against Russia and the impact of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The leaders of the EU’s 27 member states will meet at a former palace that is now used as a conference center. They will be joined by Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO, for lunch and by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for dinner.
The meeting is not an official summit but rather a chance for leaders to have open discussions without making any formal decisions. The main topics to be discussed are geopolitics and the EU’s relations with the US. Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China will likely dominate the agenda.
EU officials are worried that similar tariffs could soon be imposed on European exports. They are also concerned about Trump’s demands for increased defense spending by the EU and his call for Denmark to give up Greenland to the US.
The leaders of the EU have been urged to take greater responsibility for their own defense. This includes being more resilient, efficient, and autonomous in security matters.
There is a disagreement among EU countries over how to fund defense spending. Some want joint borrowing while others oppose it. A possible compromise could be to finance loans rather than direct grants for defense projects.
Last year, the EU spent an estimated 326 billion euros on defense, which was 30% more than in 2021. Despite this, Trump is pushing for NATO’s European members to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense, a target that no member currently meets.