Manfred Weber calls for EU defence market and a European army

EU Parliament leader Manfred Weber urged the creation of a single internal market for defence goods, common export rules and joint command structures, arguing that the current fragmentation wastes billions of euros. He said, "We are currently wasting billions of taxpayers' money due to inefficient procurement and the isolation of national defence markets."

Weber warned that the rise of the AfD could lead to a future where the party controls the German armed forces, describing it as a "catastrophe" and insisting that a European army would prevent such a scenario and strengthen EU security.