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ATHENS (Reuters) - The European Union needs to boost its defence role and arms industry and improve cooperation with NATO, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday after talks with the military alliance's Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the EU has sought to increase its defence capabilities and the European Commission has pledged to push forward with flagship projects on air and cyber defence.
"We agreed on one of the fundamental priorities for all the allies, the need to boost our common defence, a target which requires a strong defence industry, significant investments... and a more efficient cooperation between the EU and NATO," Mitsotakis said after the meeting in Athens.
Greece, an EU member state and a NATO ally, spends about 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) annually on defence. But the EU as a whole is struggling to invest enough to prepare for all- out warfare, analysts say.
Despite increases in spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU's combined defence expenditure of around 326 billion euros in 2024 represents only 1.9% of its GDP, according to the European Defence Agency.
Greece has submitted proposals that would allow member states more fiscal room to invest in defence projects.
It wants to reform its army and revamp its defence industry as it recovers from a decade-long debt crisis that forced it to slash spending. It is also in talks with Israel to develop a 2 billion euro ($2.10 billion) anti-aircraft and missile defence dome.
Mitsotakis said support for Ukraine should continue and Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, praised Greece for helping to accelerate F-16 fighter jet training for Ukrainian pilots and technicians.
"We must also strengthen our deterrence and defence, including by boosting defence investment and production. The good news is that we have in NATO the alliance we need to defend every inch of our territory," Rutte said.
($1 = 0.9511 euros)
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou, Antonis Pothitos and Bart Meijer; Editing by Edward McAllister and Gareth Jones)
