Your browser is: WebKit 537.36. This browser is out of date so some features on this site might break. Try a different browser or update this browser. Learn more.

EU Joint Funds Gaining Support as Leaders Face Defense Needs

  • Macron gathers with EU leaders in Paris to discuss Ukraine
  • European bonds fell on prospect of greater military spending

Tanks during an exercise with armoured vehicles and infantry in Romania. 

Photographer: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images

Discussions are gathering pace in the European Union on how to increase defense spending, with joint financing becoming a realistic option for a growing list of leaders, according to people familiar with the matter.

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted fellow leaders in Paris Monday, including the UK’s Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to discuss ways to bolster Europe’s defense capacity. Even though joint bonds weren’t specifically addressed, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said new funding measures would be presented in time for an upcoming March 20-21 summit.