US ambassador to EU warns of risks of 'made in Europe' policy in defense procurement

The European Union's desire to give preference to European weapons over American weapons during rearmament could lead to disagreements between allies and weaken transatlantic defense cooperation, said US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder.

“The EU’s desire to support its defense industry risks alienating allies and fragmenting the transatlantic defense industrial base,” Euronews quotes Pazder as saying.

The European Commission and EU countries are promoting measures that would increase the share of European-made weapons in defense procurement and reduce dependence on American supplies. As Euronews notes, the Pentagon opposes this approach, despite the US administration’s demands for European NATO allies to spend more on their own defense.

The EU SAFE program provides up to 150 billion euros for defense procurement, limiting the share of components from third countries to 35%. Puzder proposed replacing the “made in Europe” principle with a transition to “made in NATO” in order to maintain access for American manufacturers to European contracts, Euronews reports.

According to the ambassador, when choosing weapons, European countries should be guided by their capabilities and availability, and not by the place of production.

"Only our enemies benefit when we stop caring about having the most effective weapons. One attack by a powerful enemy on an ally and we'll all be glad we focused on weapons superiority rather than regional economics," Puzder said.