EU Council adopts defense industry programme to boost readiness

The Council of the European Union (EU) on Monday formally adopted the European Defense Industry Programme, aiming to boost the EU's defense readiness.

The programme supports common procurement among member states, ramps up production capacity of critical defense products, and activities to increase interoperability and interchangeability, said the council, adding that it also supports Ukraine's defense industry through a dedicated instrument.

It will provide 1.5 billion euros in grants for the period 2025-2027, out of which 300 million euros are earmarked for Ukrainian support, according to the council.

The adoption marks the final step in the legislative procedure. The regulation will be signed on Dec 17 and enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, the council said.

EU Council adopts defense industry programme to boost readiness

EU Council adopts defense industry programme to boost readiness

EU Council adopts defense industry programme to boost readiness

EU Council adopts defense industry programme to boost readiness

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday depicted as "untrue" the reasons given by the United States for its withdrawal from the global health watchdog.

On the social platform X, the WHO chief noted that the move will make the United States itself and the world "less safe."

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term to formally initiate the U.S. exit from the UN specialized agency. The United Nations received the formal notice two days later.

Under the UN charter, the withdrawal takes effect one year after notice is given.

Commending the contribution made by the United States as a founding member to many of WHO's greatest achievements, Tedros wrote in the X post, "Unfortunately, the reasons cited for the U.S. decision to withdraw from WHO are untrue."

The U.S. move "makes both the U.S. and the world less safe," he said, expressing hope that the United States "will return to active participation in WHO in the future."

Also on Saturday, the WHO issued a statement, voicing regret over the U.S. withdrawal and rejecting accusations made by the Trump administration.

The U.S. withdrawal raises issues that will be considered by the WHO Executive Board at its regular meeting starting on Feb. 2 and by the World Health Assembly at its annual meeting in May 2026, it said.

In dealing with the consequences, the WHO Secretariat "will act on advice and guidance of our governing bodies accordingly," a WHO press official told Xinhua in an email Wednesday.

The United States has yet to pay its outstanding membership dues, according to the official. "As of today, the USA has not paid the invoiced amounts for its assessed contributions for the biennium 2024-2025," the official said.

The U.S.-based National Public Radio (NPR) reported that the outstanding amount is estimated to total some 278 million U.S. dollars.

WHO chief says U.S. reasons for withdrawal 'untrue'