Irish Examiner view: Time for collective action to defend Europe

The fact that Ukraine was invaded by a country looming on the eastern fringes of the EU was no doubt considered when the European Commission white paper was being drafted

European Council president Antonio Costa, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen earlier this month. File picture: Omar Havana/AP

Now that the European Commission is to publish its white paper on defence, we can expect plenty of debate in the coming days and weeks on this issue — which has rarely been more topical.

The white paper’s proposals aim to strengthen Europe’s security capacity, pressing matters in the context of Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine as well as the threat from US president Donald Trump to pull out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).