With a Heidag on a Monday in the hectic heart of Brussels, the European leaders tried to get a grip on a subject that the EU already divided into peacetime: Defense. With a war in Europe and uncertainty about American support for NATO and Ukraine, the subject at the same time has become much more urgent and more complex.
In addition to EU leaders, NATO chef Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took part in the ‘Brainstorm Supper’. There was no formal final statement – after all, it was a Heidag. The defense debate therefore remained somewhat vague. The leaders have given the European Commission instructions for a white book on Defense that must appear next month and then form the basis for decisions at a regular EU summit in June. Everyone was allowed to put ideas on the table, decisions did not fall yet.
The government leaders spoke about three topics, the chairman of the European Council, António Costa, said afterwards. They considered the military capacities that Europe has a great shortage. He mentioned air defense, ammunition, missiles, military mobility (logistics) and supporting capacity. The European Defense Agency must map those shortcomings together with NATO. The European defense industry must then be encouraged to eliminate those shortcomings. According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, there was a lot of enthusiasm for an air defense shield for Europe that Poland and Greece have suggested. Whether it will already be decided in June could not be said.
Naturally, the question quickly came up how a stronger defense should be paid. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the Commission will investigate whether there is room in the budget rules imposed by the EU Member States to allow more debts if they have been made because the armed forces are invested. She also wants to encourage the European Investment Bank (EIB) to relax its internal rules for Defense projects. She pointed out that the EIB is already waiting for Defense projects. Finally, the committee wants to enter into a conversation with private banks, which are very reluctant to invest in the arms industry.
Von der Leyen did not mention the tricky point of joint debts in the first instance. But Costa left no doubt that the controversial option will also be investigated by the committee for the financing of joint projects.
There is also a world to be gained if the EU countries work together better, said Von der Leyen. By purchasing together and making the same requirements for weapons and equipment, economies of scale can be reached. The European Defense Market has traditionally been shattered and not efficient because each country attracted its own plan.
The leaders also agreed that they can only build their ‘Europe of Defense’ in collaboration with others: with NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom. “The US is our friend, our ally and partner,” said Costa. The relationship with the US has shot root and will continue to exist, he said. But he also said: “We will not make concessions when it comes to our principles.” The heads of government underlined several times that the entire EU is solidarity with Denmark in the Greenland issue.
The threat of a trade war with the US hung like a dark cloud above the meeting. It would be a “cruel paradox”, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk “If in an era with a direct threat from Russia and Chinese expansion” the allies of EU and US would end up in conflict.
No one can miss the need for European defense efforts: in the east Russia wages war against Ukraine and continues its relationship with Europe with sabotage actions. In the West, the new president of the most important ally vs demands much higher expenditure of Europe The American support for Ukraine is highly uncertain.
Can the EU unanimously approach the pressure from outside? Traditionally, fault lines run through club of 27 who make it difficult to perform together in defense issues.
Political preferences vary. A small minority consisting of Hungary and Slovakia likes to crack against Putin and sees nothing in an aggressive European attitude against Russia. The Baltic countries and Poles invest a lot in Defense and do not get tired of pointing to the Russian danger and the European weakness. France likes to work on European sovereignty. Germany has historic fear of stunning in military issues. The south sees the Russian threat, but is also afraid of terror from North Africa and the Middle East and relates relatively to defense. And then there is a small club of countries – Ireland and Austria – that are formally neutral.
In addition, economic interests collide. Countries with a solid financial-economic basis such as the Netherlands are extremely apprehensive of entering into collective European debts to finance defense projects. A country like France, which is financially weaker, but has a large defense industry, would benefit from the POF funded efforts in European defense.
And then there is often a difficult relationship between NATO and the EU. Not all EU countries are members of NATO, not all NATO countries members of the EU.
The NATO dominated by the US quickly saw EU initiatives as a trick from France that always had trouble with the US force majeure in the Alliance. On the other hand, the US would like Europe to spend more on the armed forces, but those defense euros should preferably be spent in the US. An American president has now been added to that difficult atlantic relationship, who has installed it within two weeks with NATO partner Canada and with NATO partner Denmark. A fight on import duties with the EU seems only a matter of time.
The United Kingdom wants to play a new role in that force field. After the British-European ice age of Brexit negotiations among the conservatives, Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer is looking for rapprochement with the EU. If Europe wants to do more in the field of defense, the UK, land with a serious army and nuclear power, is an obvious partner. The VK would like to participate in European defense initiatives, but a number of countries, France first, believes that EU projects should remain the exclusive domain of EU member states.
During a dinner with the EU leaders, Starmer outlined a number of areas on which the EU and the UK can collaborate: improving military mobility (the rapid moving of large military units through Europe), more intensive cooperation in missions, collaboration against sabotage , the development of military technology and with weapon production. “Fragmentation would weaken us all,” he said, according to press agencies.
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