Strengthening Our Defense Capabilities: Yes, War Financing Never

“What is the goal of Europe’s defense strategy? To preserve peace, not to institutionalize war!” emphasized György Hölvényi, Member of the European Parliament for the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP), during the European Parliament’s plenary debate on the report concerning a unified defense market.

According to the MEP, the report does not merely address the obstacles facing the defense market; it goes much further by effectively treating Ukraine as already being part of the European defense industry.

György Hölvényi warned: “The EU integration of a country at war cannot be forced!” He added that this would not only run counter to the spirit of the EU treaties but would also go against the will and interests of European citizens.

The KDNP representative stressed that the European Union’s defense strategy cannot depend on a country that is currently at war. “Financing a war indefinitely is not a strategy, nor is it autonomy; it is a dependency that undermines security,” he stated.

According to György Hölvényi, one of Europe’s most important tasks today is to stay out of the Russian–Ukrainian conflict and focus on creating peace. “One of the main prerequisites for the competitiveness of the European economy is the establishment of peace,” he highlighted.

The MEP also pointed out that the goal of developing the EU’s defense industry should be to strengthen European capacities, not to finance external actors. György Hölvényi recalled that the European Union has so far allocated around €200 billion to sustaining the war, which, in his view, has not strengthened Europe but rather made it more vulnerable.

In closing, György Hölvényi stressed: “The EU cannot allow the next generations to pay the price of war!”