© Jeannot Ries
A high-ranking delegation from the US House of Representatives paid a visit to the Chamber des Deputes in light of the commemorations of the Battle of the Bulge.
The delegation left an unmissable message for Luxembourg's MPs: in the current geopolitical context, all European countries must take more responsibility and invest more in defence – including Luxembourg.
The delegation was headed by Republican Michael McCaul, who is currently President of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives.
"During the Second World War, my father bombed the Nazis from an aeroplane over Europe", says McCaul in an interview. The American politician was quick to draw parallels between the mission 80 years ago – when the Allies defended the world against tyranny and oppression – and the war in Ukraine today. Putin underestimated NATO and thought we were weak and divided.
"Now we have Finland and Sweden in the alliance, and I have never seen a more united NATO. I think it would be a big mistake if the US ever withdrew. The alliance is in our best interest given that the promise is the prevention of a third world war", says Michael McCaul.
The President of the Foreign Affairs Commission takes us back to the time of the Second World War. A conversation between Churchill and Roosevelt went like as follows: "What do we call this war?" asked Roosevelt, to which Churchill replied: "The unnecessary war."
What he meant, McCaul says, is ‘that the war could have been prevented if we had stopped it earlier. We now have that situation again in Ukraine. And it could spread further into the Indo-Pacific. That is why NATO is so important, not just the USA. Also all European allies, including Luxembourg.’
The message is clear, and was reiterated this Sunday morning.
"It's very clear that the efforts that the previous and current government are making are really going in the direction of ramping up armaments as quickly as possible. But I also believe that the message has been understood. However, they have also told us that it is not always easy to defend American values with their constituents at home if their partners in NATO do not make a similar effort", says Chamber President Claude Wiseler.
While Luxembourg is struggling to reach 2 percent of the GDP, various American MPs have not hesitated to demand 3, even up to 5 percent of the PIB for the defence of NATO member states.
Interestingly, an American proposal was put on the table on Sunday morning that could also benefit the Luxembourg economy.
Michael McCaul explains: "It is in your country's interest to invest in its own self-defence and defence industry. At the moment, this is very weak because it is very much under pressure from all the threats. We have had many discussions about co-production in Luxembourg, which will benefit your people in terms of jobs and private investment."
This also brings us to the so-called "return on investment," i.e. not only spending money on defence, but also getting something back from it economically.
In "dual use", in other words, just as good for civilian as for military purposes. "This is of course an avenue that can be explored in the future," says Chamber President Claude Wiseler.
