EU leaders back proposal to 'rearm Europe' amid changing political landscape

At the latest gathering in Brussels, senior EU leaders discussed defence, Ukraine, migration, and union-wide competitiveness

The European Parliament building in Leopold Square, Brussels. The latest gathering of senior EU leaders in Brussels saw broad agreement, with leaders backing the early stages of an €800bn proposal from the European Commission to rearm Europe. File picture: Alamy

“The debate has moved extremely fast in the last few months.”

That’s how one Irish diplomat described how Europe’s view on defence has changed in the months since Donald Trump returned to the White House, and the traditional European security net appeared to crumble.