Kalinak Sees Existing Defence Industry Capacities as Major Problem for Europe

Bratislava, 23 September (TASR) - The biggest problem in Europe at present is the capacity of the defence industry, said Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) after a meeting of defence ministers within the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) format in Bratislava on Tuesday. According to Kalinak, the meeting focused on self-sufficiency and the ability to secure all the necessary means for defence. The talks also touched on the situation in Ukraine, drone attacks in Poland, further incursions into sovereign airspace, and the EU's enlargement process. He said the discussion is important in that some countries which want to strengthen their defence capabilities are facing objections from institutions in terms of economic stability. "On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen NATO's and EU's defence capability, but on the other hand, the very organisations protected by this defence are also questioning whether investing so much in defence is a good idea, because it could disrupt financial stability," noted Kalinak, advising the European Commission to set clear rules in this regard. In addition to Slovakia, the CEDC format includes Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Poland as an observer. On Tuesday, the talks were joined by Western Balkan countries – Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia. They agreed that the EU enlargement, in particular as regards the Western Balkans, must be at the top of the agenda. According to Kalinak, it is "not acceptable that some other countries, which acceded much later and which are just beginning their accession process, having met far fewer EU requirements to date, should be allowed to jump ahead based on political opinions or preferences." He described the talks as quick and efficient. This year, during Slovakia's presidency of the CEDC, the discussions will follow at the level of experts. Representatives of the defence industry should also be involved in order to advance some joint projects, such as the "construction and design of a medium tank that would cost somewhere between twelve and fifteen million, almost half the price of heavy tanks," according to Kalinak. jrg