BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has spoken out in favor of closer cooperation within the European Union in the procurement of armaments. "We need closer cooperation in the defense industry, cooperation in armaments between our countries," Scholz said in the Bundestag in Berlin on Wednesday. Great progress had already been made - but more was needed. The Chancellor said that the fact that there had been almost no contact between political leaders and the defense industry for years was a mistake. "The fact that we have now changed this is the right step. But we must explicitly say: it must be ensured that we have continuous production of important weapons systems in Germany and Europe," said Scholz in a government statement./bg/DP/stw