Italy has asked the European Union to boost financial incentives for the defense industry as it seeks closer EU military cooperation in light of the U.K.’s decision to quit the bloc.
The proposal is contained in an Italian government document obtained by Bloomberg News detailing plans for the defense industries that has been circulated to Berlin, Brussels and Paris ahead of a Sept. 16 meeting of EU leaders in Bratislava. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is expected to touch on the paper’s contents Wednesday in his annual “State of the Union” address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, according to a person familiar with the matter. [...]
Germany and France have already drawn up plans for closer defense cooperation, Munich-based newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Sept. 9, citing a position paper by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian. The paper includes plans for common headquarters, use of European satellites for surveillance, synchronizing financing, planning and procurement, and allowing EU member states to accelerate cooperation at different paces.
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