NATO airbrushed out of EU – At EU’s Defence Conference von der Leyen never even mentions it

And Europe’s most important military power – the UK – isn’t even invited

Montage © Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2025

PLUS, 3 very odd videos of von der Leyen’s speech

Yesterday in the opulent Egmont Palace Brussels, the EU Commission and major European defence companies gathered for the opening of the 5th European Defence and Security Conference. President Ursula von der Leyen gave the opening address, although she did it via video link as she evidently couldn’t manage the short, six-minute car journey from her office in the Berlaymont building to attend in person.

In the four-minute speech she talked briefly of the EU’s ‘Readiness 2030 Plan’ “to boost our military capabilities”. She mentioned the need to be “coordinated”, “precise”, and “fast”. The Commission’s ‘Defence Readiness Omnibus’ also got a quick shout-out, which apparently is “aimed at establishing a defence-readiness mindset” and reducing paperwork, according to its section on the Commission’s website.

Most of her speech, however, seemed to be devoted to selling her ‘Security Action for Europe’ (SAFE) loan scheme to save the EU from President Putin’s increasing incursions, because “we know from experience that he is a predator.”

Attend the European Defence and Security Conference and watch NATO disappear

In the launch speech for ‘Europe’s’ Defence and Conference, the word ‘NATO’ never once passed Ursula von der Leyen’s lips.

It was as if the organisation which has been Europe’s defence shield for the past 75 years, responsible for maintaining peace in Europe, armed to the teeth and with full intercontinental and battlefield nuclear missile capability, and in a constant state of readiness, had simply ceased to exist.

Instead, we were treated to a promotion of the concept of ‘Europe’, (meaning the EU), developing its own defence capability, with the Commission’s new ‘SAFE’ loan facility being the solution to a rearmament programme.

Von der Leyen’s heavily edited speech – the Commission gets “down wiv da kids”

On occasions such as this, the Facts4EU team has usually been able to go to the Commission’s YouTube Channel to embed a video of the Commission President’s speech for readers to watch. Times they are a’ changing, though. It seems that the Commission is getting “down with the kids” and in an effort to keep up with the TikTok generation we are only able to offer the Commission’s bizarre clips of Ursula von der Leyen in three parts. She would also appear to have been recorded on a mobile phone. You have to click each one in turn to get part of her speech. There is no video of the whole thing.

Interestingly – apart from it being clipped into three parts – the Commission President seems to have had problems recording her speech to camera, short though it was. If you watch carefully, each of the parts has been edited many times.

What is the ‘Security Action for Europe’ (SAFE) loan plan that von der Leyen is pushing?

SAFE is a cheap loan facility agreed on 27 May this year (2025), being offered to member states to enable them to boost their defence expenditure. The total loan amount is €150bn (approx. £130bn GBP) and this is being split between all member states who wish to participate.

Since the Commission changed the rules at the time of COVID to allow it to start borrowing money, it has done so with gay abandon. All of this indebtedness becomes a liability for the countries taking it, who will be jointly and severally liable. In short, it adds to the overall indebtedness of each EU country.

The amount involved, €150bn, is small change when it comes to defence expenditure. To make things worse, this is then split between the 19 out of the 27 EU member states who have indicated their interest. In the case of most countries, this makes the amount involved the equivalent of pocket money in relation to the cost of state-of-the-art defence systems.

Where else would you read research like this?
We rely wholly on patriotic members of the public to survive. Please donate today if you would like to continue reading us tomorrow, next week, and the weeks after.

Any credit card user

Quick One-off

From £5 - £1,000

Monthly

From £3 per month

Paypal Users Only - Choose amount first

Quick One-off

Monthly

Don't leave this to someone else. You are that 'someone else'.

Yes, Sir Keir eagerly supports SAFE

While only Member States can obtain SAFE loans, the EU allows other countries to participate in the common procurement aspect, meaning they can bid for contracts. Sir Keir Starmer has signed the UK up for this, along with countries such as Albania and Moldova.

It is not yet clear how much this will cost the UK.

Finally, it seems that the most important military power in Europe was not invited to ‘The European Defence and Security Conference‘.

Not one British Minister or CEO of a UK defence manufacturer appears in the long list of speakers.

Observations

Did someone say ‘NATO’?

Many readers will recall the abuse that we and others received over the past 10 years for researching and publishing numerous times on the subject of ‘the EU Army’. Over and again we warned that the EU was in the process of setting up an organisation that would one day rival and aim to supplant NATO.

In formal international gatherings, the EU Commission has been careful to state that everything it is doing is purely complementary to NATO. This three-day conference is different, however. It began with Ursula von der Leyen’s video speech, is essentially an EU affair, and clearly no-one feels the need to pretend.

We stand by every word we wrote over the last 10 years.

Please, please help us to carry on our vital work in defence of independence, sovereignty, democracy and freedom by donating today. Thank you.

[ Sources: EU Commission | SAFE | Readiness Omnibus | NATO ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Wed 15 Oct 2025

Click here to go to our news headlines

Please scroll down to COMMENT on the above article.
And don't forget actually to post your message after you have previewed it!

Something to say about this? Scroll down for reader comments

Since before the EU Referendum, Brexit Facts4EU.Org
has been the most prolific researcher and publisher of Brexit facts in the world.

Supported by MPs, MEPs, & other groups, our work has impact.

We think facts matter. Please donate today, so that we can continue to ensure a clean Brexit is finally delivered.

Any credit card user

Quick One-off

From £5 - £1,000

Monthly

From £3 per month

Paypal Users Only - Choose amount first

Quick One-off

Monthly

PLEASE NOTE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT : You can write your comment under any existing comments below. After you have clicked to preview your comment, you MUST then click on the CAPTCHA system and send you comment, for it to be published. Thank you!

Reader Comments 10

1. The Facts4EU Team , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 07:20:

FROM THE BREXIT FACTS4EU TEAM
We welcome as many views as possible. May we respectfully remind readers to restrict comments to those related to the report in question. We understand this sometimes leads on to tangential subjects but ask that these be kept in moderation.
In particular we would ask those commenting not to use this as a noticeboard for other news, especially when we are already working on a report on one of the subjects.
Please remember that we are very keen to expand the team so if you research and enjoy telling readers about other topics in relation to independence, sovereignty, democracy and freedom, why not do it as part of our team?! :-)

2. Sparky , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 07:52:

The UK was not invited because the UK left the EU. We have left the EU but still expect to play a roll in the EU, you can’t have it both ways, that was the cake deal idea that never worked.
.
The EU has been criticised for not spending enough on defence, now there being criticised for spending.
.
This is a loan via the EU. countries in Europe may decide not to access the loan to spend on defence.
.
The UK defence industry is significant but because we’ve left, the UK defence industries will now face hurdles to benefit from increased defence spending in Europe. Working great this Brexit.

3. Gazzablack , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 08:46:

2, sparkless
.
You don't half come out with the brown and smelly.
.
Actual!y it's a good thing that the UK didn''t attend because the whole thing is really about taking even more sovereignty from members, and screwing them for more money.
.
I would not be in favour of the UK franchising out it's defence.to the EU
.
Type 26 sales
Type 31 sales
The hurdles don't seem too insurmountable Hiroo.
.
In the meantime the UK defends Irish airspace from possible Russian incursions (Just as it has been doing for Eastern EU members)
And the UK provides security to Irish waters.
.
And if things do kick off between EU members and Russia you can bet that the EU will not say to the UK "no, no you're not in the EU, we don't want your help".
On the contrary, they will be begging us to help defend them.
.

4. KB , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 10:30:

I wonder if this new debt will actually be recorded as an additional debt in each individual country's accounts ?

5. Gazzablack , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 12:51:

4, kb
.
You've got to remember, it was the EU that liberated Europe in 1945
.
The Anglosphere countries that formed the bedrock of NATO obviously played no part.
.
Just ask David Lammy

6. Mr Sceptic , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 14:07:

The EU is providing funding, regularly frameworks, and industrial coordination to help its member states meet NATO capability requirements more efficiently.
What is the UK plan? More borrowing? Increase taxes? More austerity?
And the EU’s preference for buying ‘European’ will lead to the practical exclusion of the UK’s defence industry from major pan-European projects.

7. NH , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 14:34:

2. Sp. "We have left the EU but still expect to play a roll in the EU, you can’t have it both ways"
.
I think you will find the the Germany Company Rheinmetall is opening a new factory in the UK to manufacture barrels for artillery guns. This will support 400 UK jobs and use British Steel.
.
The UK and Germany have also recently agreed to jointly develop a new long range missile system to replace their existing systems
.
Rheinmetall and BAE Systems have also recently set up a new company called RBSL to manufacture the new Boxer armoured fighter vehicle and the new Challenger 3 tank in Telford UK.
.
The German company Stark has also recently opened a 40,000 square foot facility in Swindon to design and manufacture Drones. Apparently they want to take advantage of British expertise in this area.
.
It seems that Germany and the UK are cooperating far more successfully on defence than Germany and France. At the same time the UK is not having to guarantee or pay for huge loans issued to other countries or to pay huge sums to be in a Political Union. It seems that you can have it both ways !

8. NH , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 14:45:

6. Sceptic
The EU does not have any "funding" it comes from their member states. The wealthy nations (which would have included the UK if we were still in the EU) are having to guarantee the loans for other nations and many of these loans are unlikely to be paid back. You would have to ask Kier Starmer what his plan is, but I don't think he has one. When we get a competent Government they will manage the economy sensibly and not be held back by having to pay the bills of 27 other countries.

9. Gazzablack , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 15:52:

6, septic
.
Borrowing!
.
Brussels has been doing that
Borrowing.
Billions
And bragging about it as well
.
Could member electorates perchance hold them to account?
Well no, of course not.
.
We'll make TwoTier's shower suffer for their profligacy.
The Germans can't
The French can't
The Italians can't
In fact any member electorate you care to name, can't.
.
By the way, France is the most taxed country in Europe and isn't in a position to increase taxes further.
The EU saddling them with additional debt is the last thing they need.
.
But it isn't all about equipment.
It's about skills, tactical nous and experience as well.
And the UK has it in spades.
.
You exclude your most capable ally at your peril.

10. Gazzablack , Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 16:15:

From today's Die Welt German newspaper
.
"The EU is a monster against which we must defend our freedom"
" Flagrantly undemocratic"
"The hunger for power in Brussels is insatiable"
"Brexit was the first signal that sovereign states no longer want authoritarian encroachment"

Add comment:

Please note: Your email address is never published unless you choose to enter it.