BRUSSELS, April 2. /TASS/. The militarization of Europe brings additional expenses, which heightens people’s displeasure over EU authorities and strengthens the positions of right-wing political forces, Catherine de Vries, a professor at Bocconi University in Milan, said in an article published by Politico Europe.
"Voters already feel neglected after years of reductions to public services, and displeasure over high defense spending could fuel more discontent," prompting gains for far-right populists, the expert wrote. A similar trend was already observed last year, when right-wing parties won elections in a number of EU countries, including France, Belgium, and Austria, she noted. The expert believes that their further strengthening could "destabilize European security."
"But as the EU moves out from NATO’s shadow, the political stakes are rising," de Vries pointed out, adding that "the cost of rearmament and military readiness will have direct implications for European voters, who have traditionally prioritized social welfare spending." The expert went on by recalling the Euro area crisis in 2008 and saying that "the memory of austerity already hangs over the bloc," Adding to that, the EU authorities expressed their intention to significantly reduce funding for a number of social programs in 2024. Further reduction of welfare in the EU "will sting an already bruised continent" and reduce the degree of public support for militarization, de Vries believes.
A European Council on Foreign Relations survey from mid-2024 revealed that majorities in France and Italy opposed increased defense spending if it came at the expense of health care and education, the expert said. At the moment, the situation for the EU is exacerbated by the inability to create a "compelling narrative" through which a rearmament policy could gain electoral support, as well as the unpredictable course of the new US administration.
On March 4, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that she had proposed to EU leaders a plan for the rearming of the community with a budget of 800 billion euros. The EC proposal implies that EU countries borrow up to 150 billion euros for defense. The EC will borrow this money on the capital markets and then lend it to countries on the condition that they jointly purchase weapons in Europe. According to Brussels, some of these funds will be used to produce air defense systems in the EU and weapons for Ukraine.|.