The European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, visited Luxembourg this week to participate in a GovSat conference, as well as holding numerous political meetings and touring the SES.
Kubilius held a press conference following his meeting with Luxembourg’s defence minister, Yuriko Backes. Although the atmosphere was convivial, it became clear in later interviews that they did not agree on all points.
Kubilius also expressed his thoughts on the topic of whether Ukrainian men should seek protection in EU countries, such as Luxembourg, or stay in their country to fight.
“The best answer is peace in Ukraine. Then all the Ukrainians could return home to rebuild their country. In order to achieve peace we have to give Ukraine sufficient support, and we are doing a lot. It’s not that we are expecting them to say thank you, on the contrary, they are effectively defending us as well. But four years of war have immense social consequences.”
The commissioner said he could not blame anyone for leaving the country. Over the past week, Luxembourg’s interior minister Léon Gloden, as well as Backes, and in a more nuanced fashion, Xavier Bettel, have all made comments suggesting young Ukrainian men should stay home to support the war effort.
But Backes did not take the commissioner’s remarks as criticism.
“It’s a war and of course there are people who want to defend their country. I’d want to do the same for my country. And it’s also understandable that people want to leave. In the beginning it was mainly women and children, and here in Luxembourg we welcomed them with open arms. Now it’s winter and very cold in Ukraine, so I see it as humane that people want to leave their home.”
As for the subject of a European army, a project that Kubilius wants to push forward in order to fill a potential defensive vacuum for Europe amid the uncertainty of Donald Trump’s support, Backes said she felt it was not currently a priority among her fellow defence ministers.
“We’re working on very different things at the moment. I think [a European army] is an idea that we shouldn’t lose sight of. It’s not a new idea. At a low level we are trying to coordinate better as states. But when it comes to armies it is very much down to national competences. But we do want to work better together, whether that’s putting together EU groups, or at bilateral levels, such as Luxembourg creating a battalion with Belgium. These are all small versions of a European army, so I’d say we aren’t far from the real thing.”
While there may not be intensive work on this project, defence is very much a priority at EU level. “The European Commission also supports an integrated European industry. I think this will be of interest to Luxembourgish businesses,” Backes continued.
While Luxembourg may be a small country, it contributes immensely to efforts in space. The EU commissioner had high praise for Luxembourg’s contributions in this sector, particularly in terms of satellites for defence purposes. Luxeosys and GovSat2 are considered important projects, he said. Kubilius also praised the work of the SES following his visit.
