Reflection on security, Russia's war against Ukraine and signals from across the Atlantic are the reasons that prompted the European Union to address defence issues. Which means the release of the White Paper on European Defence, what the Union can do in defence matters, how it sees the function of its and NATO, how associate States will be able to benefit from EU funding; whether the Shield of the East can be 1 of the strategical European projects – explains Katarzyna Smyk, manager of the European Commission's Representation in Poland. It stresses that "there is no effort on the sovereignty of the associate States, defence is their competence" and that the Commission's actions are intended to facilitate their implementation of arms spending.
