ROME \u2014 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has opposed European Union plans to raise \u20ac800 billion ($870 billion) for defense spending, spoiling the bloc\u2019s show of bravura in the face of Russian aggression and Donald Trump\u2019s disregard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The European windfall has been proposed by EU commission head Ursula vonder Leyen who is backing plans for \u20ac150 billion in loans for defense spending by member states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A second proposal would see member states allowed to exempt defense spending worth up to 1.5 percent of their national GDP from EU debt rules which are designed to stop members racking up excessive deficits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If all states take advantage of the exemption, the EU forecasts that bloc-wide defense spending will swell by \u20ac650 billion – combining with the loans to achieve a total of \u20ac800 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Italy PM Meloni gave the debt rule scheme a thumbs down when she met Von der Leyen in Brussels on Thursday ahead of an EU summit to discuss the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said she preferred to see private investors encouraged to put money into defense programs, or direct EU funding which \u201cdoes not directly impact the state debts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meloni\u2019s lack of enthusiasm will have surprised defense officials in Europe since her government has repeatedly appealed to exempt defense spending from EU deficit spending limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That move, her defense minister Guido Crosetto has previously said, was the only way Italy could hope to increase its spending, which is around 1.5 percent of GDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that the EU has said Italy can do what it has been pushing to do for years, Meloni has declined to take up the offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One reason is that whether or not the EU allows fresh debt spending, the markets may be less forgiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another reason is that Meloni remains skeptical about Europe becoming a defense superpower without strong backing from the Unites States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This month she declined to join in with plans hatched by the U.K. andFrance to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a letter to Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Thursday, Meloni\u2019s defense minister, Crosetto, wrote that only NATO, not the EU, offered a guarantee of military assistance among members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe only concrete and practical defense model, here and now, is NATO,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meloni\u2019s caution on rearming also reflects opposition from Italian voters to spending on arms rather than healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A poll this month reported that 54.6% of Italians oppose the \u20ac800 billion spending plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meloni\u2019s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, a Eurosceptic who has long been soft on Russia, has also this week been opposing extra defense spending, claiming Italy\u2019s biggest threat is Islamic terror, not Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked about a possible European army on Thursday, he replied, \u201cWhat would a European army led by France and Germany do today: Would it go to war?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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