STORY: The Chancellor’s visit to his neighbor – in the Czech Republic, Olaf Scholz underlined Germany’s commitment to EU expansion in a keynote speech on European policy. Speaking at Charles University in Prague, he said that Western Balkan countries, Ukraine, Moldova and possibly Georgia should join the Union. Scholz called for an end to the EU unanimity principle in order to prevent the admission of new members from being paralyzed by the veto of individual states. For Northern Europe, Scholz proposed the establishment of a joint air defense and a German leadership role. There is considerable pent-up demand in defense against threats from the air and from space. Therefore, Germany will invest “very significantly” in air defense in the coming years. “A jointly built air defense system in Europe would not only be cheaper and more efficient than if each of us builds our own expensive and highly complex air defense system. It would be a security gain for all of Europe.” Regarding the war in Ukraine, Scholz suggested that Germany could prioritize the air defenses and artillery of the Ukrainian armed forces. A new weapons package worth 600 million euros has just been promised.