Olaf Scholz called for a new European air defense system, one of a series of proposals by the German chancellor to improve the continent’s resilience and reform EU governance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a speech in Prague on Monday, Scholz said Germany plans to make “significant” investments in air defense in the coming years and that its European neighbors will be invited to join the project from the start. “We have a lot to do in Europe in terms of our defense against air and space threats,” Scholz added. He also pledged that Germany would continue to send Ukraine state-of-the-art weapons, including air defense systems and radar and reconnaissance drones, and said Germany could take “special responsibility” for building Ukraine’s artillery. Germany will also ensure that the planned EU rapid reaction force is ready for deployment in 2025. Much of the speech, delivered at Charles University in Prague, focused on the idea of making Europe more “dominant”, better able to defend itself against external aggression and more effective in dealing with competition from countries such as China. EU nations must, Scholz said, develop the bloc’s “pledge of peace” by ensuring it was “able to safeguard its security, independence and stability in the face of external challenges”. Read more about Scholz’s speech here.
