STOCKHOLM, May 13. /TASS/. The European Union’s military spending has increased by 30% since 2014, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said, opening the EU-Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum on Saturday.
He noted that, since 2014, the EU’s military spending has grown by 30% while this trend is even more pronounced in the Asia-Pacific region where the military spending has increased by 40% versus 2013.
"Unhappily, the global security environment continues to deteriorate. There is less trust among the main players and there is a weakening of the respect for international law, for multilateral rules," he said adding that force and threats are playing a greater role.
Following an informal meeting between European top diplomats in Stockholm, 14 out of 27 foreign ministers stayed for the EU-Indo-Pacific Forum. The list of its participants has not yet been published but it was reported that China was not among them.