BRUSSELS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled an 800-billion-euro (844.6-billion-U.S. dollars) plan to significantly increase defence spending across the bloc.
She said that in response to escalating security threats across the European Union (EU), Europe had entered "an era of rearmament."
In a letter written to EU leaders ahead of Thursday's European Council, von der Leyen unveiled the "ReArm Europe plan" and emphasised the urgency of strengthening Europe's defence capabilities, citing mounting geopolitical tensions, particularly in light of Russia-Ukraine military conflict and concerns over the future of U.S. support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
"Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending. Both to respond to the short-term urgency to act and to support Ukraine but also to address the long-term need to take on much more responsibility for our own European security," she said.
"The question is no longer whether Europe's security is threatened in a very real way," von der Leyen said. "The real question in front of us is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates." ■
