EU leaders to push for defence investment programme at December summit -draft

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders are pushing to quickly establish an investment programme to ramp up production in the bloc's defence industry in light of the war in Ukraine, according to a draft of conclusions for a Dec. 15-16 summit.

"The European Council ... calls on the Commission to rapidly present a proposal for a European Defence Investment Programme to reinforce the capacity and resilience of the European defence technology and industrial sector, including small and medium enterprises," said the draft, seen by Reuters on Wednesday.