Thomas Röwekamp, chair of the Bundestag’s Defence Committee, expressed willingness to consider Manfred Weber’s proposal to establish a European nuclear‑defence umbrella. In an interview with “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”, he made it clear that Germany will not independently produce or procure nuclear weapons, citing the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the 1994 2+4 Agreement as prohibitive. Röwekamp also stated that he does not doubt the United States will continue to maintain nuclear deterrence in Europe.
Still, he added that Germany could open a conversation about having European forces share in nuclear deterrence. “We might look at whether French or British nuclear forces could take on a larger protective role for the continent” he said. The idea would mirror the U.S. partnership model, where a nuclear‑capable ally supplies the warheads while Germany would provide the delivery aircraft and crews.
Contrastingly, Marie‑Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann, chair of the European Parliament’s Defence Committee, expressed skepticism. “The notion of building an independent European nuclear shield is appealing, but it is difficult to realise in the short to medium term” she told “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. Strack‑Zimmermann said that Europe’s immediate priority should be to strengthen conventional and cyber defence, synchronise procurement across member states, and organise delivery within NATO. Her aim is to enable Europe to contribute more substantially inside the alliance, thereby reducing the conventional burden that the United States currently bears.
