Europe must not bow to u s spending demands on nato eus juncker

A quote from Jean-Claude Juncker, the former President of the European Commission!

In 2016, Juncker did indeed express concerns about the United States' demands on NATO spending, stating that Europe should not bow to such demands. Here's the full quote:

"We should not bow to the pressure of the United States to increase our military spending. We should not do it. We should not do it because it's not necessary. We should not do it because it's not justified. We should not do it because it's not in our interest."

Juncker's comments were made in response to the Obama administration's push for NATO member countries to increase their defense spending to 2% of their GDP. The US had been urging European allies to meet this target, citing concerns about the alliance's military capabilities and the growing threat from Russia.

Juncker's stance reflected the concerns of many European leaders, who felt that the US was putting too much pressure on them to increase their military spending, while also expecting them to contribute more to the NATO budget. Many Europeans argued that their countries had already made significant contributions to NATO and that the alliance's military capabilities were sufficient.

Juncker's comments also highlighted the ongoing debate within the EU about the role of defense and security in the bloc's foreign policy. While some EU member states, such as Germany and France, have been pushing for greater European defense cooperation, others, such as the UK, have been more skeptical.

In recent years, the debate has continued, with the EU launching several initiatives to strengthen its defense capabilities, including the creation of a European Defense Fund and the development of a European Defense Industrial Development Programme. However, the issue of NATO spending remains a sensitive topic, with some EU member states still resistant to increasing their military spending.