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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 10 sepTember 2024
The EU buys too much defense equipment abroad, especially from

the U.S., a major report says

By LORNE COOK have been exhorting Eu-
Associated Press ropean allies and Canada
BRUSSELS (AP) — European to spend more on defense
Union countries are buying for more than a decade,
too much of their defense although former President
equipment abroad, almost Donald Trump was the only
two thirds of it in the United one to threaten to refuse
States, and failing to invest to defend any country that
enough in joint military proj- did not respect the goal.
ects, a landmark report on Much of the money goes
EU competitiveness warned back to U.S. industry.
on Monday. NATO forecasts that 23 of its
The 27 member states are 32 members will meet or ex-
also failing to make best use ceed the 2% target by the
of Europe’s research and end of the year, up from
development capacities just three countries in 2014.
to modernize their armed Western defense spending
forces, with just a fraction has been further spurred by
the level of U.S. investment, Russia’s fully fledged inva-
said the report by former sion of Ukraine in 2022.
Italian prime minister and On top of this, NATO allies
European Central Bank also want to dedicate at
chief Mario Draghi. U.S.-made Abrams tanks purchased by Poland take part in a military parade in Warsaw, Poland, least 20% of their national
The report comes as the EU on Aug. 15, 2023. defense expenditure to
continue to struggle to find Associated Press major new equipment. That
enough weapons and am- an overhaul of the bloc’s tween mid-2022 and mid- of the total compared with includes funds for research
munition to help Ukraine sur- industrial strategy. 2023, 63% of all EU defense $140 billion in the United and development, which is
vive the full-scale Russian in- Part of the problem, it said, orders were placed with States, or around 16% of all crucial for modernizing their
vasion, now in its third year, is failing to invest properly in U.S. companies, and a fur- defense spending. armed forces.
and to kickstart Europe’s Europe to create stronger ther 15% with other non-EU ATO allies almost all of The report highlighted the
defense industry. defense firms. suppliers. Last week, the whose members are part of shortcomings of countries
“Europe is wasting its com- “We are still not joining forc- Netherlands joined a list of the EU have been ramping investing in their national
mon resources. We have es in the defense industry to EU members to order big up defense spending since defense industry rather than
large collective spend- help our companies to inte- budget U.S.-made F-35 war- Russia annexed Ukraine’s joint procurement. When
ing power, but we dilute it grate and reach scale,” it planes. Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Ukraine appealed for artil-
across multiple different na- said. The report pointed out Across the 27 nations in Their aim is for each country lery, for example, EU coun-
tional and EU instruments,” that “we also do not favor 2022, defense research to spend at least 2% of gross tries supplied 10 types of
said Draghi’s report, which competitive European de- and development spend- domestic product on their howitzers. Some use differ-
has been a year in the fense companies.” ing amounted to 10.7 billion national defense budget. ent 155 mm shells, causing
making and is likely to fuel The report notes that, be- euros ($11.8 billion) just 4.5% Consecutive U.S. leaders logistical headaches.q

The U.N. chief calls the death and destruction in Gaza the worst

he’s seen

By EDITH M. LEDERER any cease-fire.” The United new highs. Stressing the ur- government have accused increasing urgency from al-
Associated Press Nations has had a military gency of a cease-fire now, the U.N. of being anti-Israel lies, Netanyahu has pushed
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — monitoring mission in the Guterres said: “The level of and have been highly criti- back against pressure for
The U.N. chief said Mon- Middle East, known as UNT- suffering we are witnessing cal of U.N. humanitarian a cease-fire deal and de-
day that the United Na- SO, since 1948, and he said, in Gaza is unprecedented operations in Gaza. Fac- clared that “no one will
tions has offered to monitor “from our side, this was one in my mandate as secre- ing protests at home and preach to me.”q
any cease-fire in Gaza and of the hypotheses that tary-general of the United
demanded an end to the we’ve put on the table.” Nations. I’ve never seen
worst death and destruc- “Of course, we’ll be ready such a level of death and
tion he has seen in his more to do whatever the inter- destruction as we are see-
than seven-year tenure. national community asked ing in Gaza in the last few
Secretary-General Antonio for us,” Guterres said. “The months.” The war has killed
Guterres said in an inter- question is whether the par- over 40,900 Palestinians,
view with The Associated ties would accept it, and according to Gaza’s Health
Press that it’s “unrealistic” to in particular whether Israel Ministry, which does not dif-
think the U.N. could play a would accept it.” ferentiate between fighters
role in Gaza’s future, either Israel’s military assault on and civilians in its count.
by administering the terri- Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ The war has caused vast
tory or providing a peace- attacks in southern Israel on destruction and displaced
keeping force, because Is- Oct. 7, has stretched for 11 around 90% of Gaza’s pop-
rael is unlikely to accept a months, with recent cease- ulation of 2.3 million, often
U.N. role. fire talks failing to reach a multiple times. Palestinians inspect the damage at a tent area in the courtyard
of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital, hit by an Israeli bombardment on
But he said “the U.N. will breakthrough and violence Israeli Prime Minister Ben- Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.
be available to support in the West Bank reaching jamin Netanyahu and his Associated Press