Premier Giorgia Meloni told the Senate on Tuesday that the ReArm Europe plan had a misleading name because it aimed to boost defence capabilities, not just buy weapons.
“I believe ReArm Europe is a misleading name because we must strengthen our defence capabilities, but today this doesn’t simply mean buying armaments,” Meloni said. “If anything, it means producing them. Beyond boosting arsenals, it includes operability, essential services, energy infrastructure, and supply chains—things that cannot be achieved with weapons alone.”
“There is no defence without this approach,” she said in her official communication to the Senate ahead of this week’s European Council.
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A European army was not on the agenda, she added. “Defence systems are based on national armies that coordinate when necessary,” said the premier.
Meloni spoke after briefing the Senate ahead of the European Council in response to League Senator Claudio Borghi, who criticised the EU’s 800-billion-euro ReArm Europe plan.
She said Europe could not guarantee lasting security by distancing itself from the United States.
“It is a simple fact that lasting security cannot be guaranteed by separating Europe from the United States,” said the prime minister.
“It is right for Europe to equip itself to play its part, but it is naïve to think it can do so alone, outside NATO’s framework,” Meloni noted.
