EU proposes joint defence push amid Russian threats

20/3/2025 6:05

Europe should further

boost military spending, pool resources on joint defence

projects and buy more European arms, according to an EU

blueprint unveiled on Wednesday, driven by fears of Russia and

doubts about the future of U.S. protection.



The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, presented

the proposals in a White Paper on defence, which aims to ensure

Europe has a "strong and sufficient" defence posture by 2030.



"The international order is undergoing changes of a

magnitude not seen since 1945. This is a pivotal moment for

European security," European Union foreign policy chief Kaja

Kallas told reporters in Brussels.



Kallas said Russia's economy was in "full war mode", with

40% of its federal budget going to the military.



"Regardless of the ongoing negotiations for peace in

Ukraine, this is a long-term investment in a long-term plan of

aggression," she declared.



Some proposed measures aim to boost the EU's arms

industry, meaning any role for companies from major weapons

producers outside the bloc such as the United States, Britain

and Turkey would be substantially limited.



EU countries have already begun boosting their own defences

in response to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. They ramped up

defence spending by more than 30% between 2021 and 2024.



But their efforts have acquired more urgency from U.S.

President Donald Trump’s rapprochement with Russia and U.S.

warnings that European security can no longer be Washington's

primary focus.



"450 million European Union citizens should not have to

depend on 340 million Americans to defend ourselves against 140

million Russians, who cannot defeat 38 million Ukrainians,"

European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.



"We really can do better. It's time for us to take

responsibility for the defence of Europe."







CAPABILITY GAPS



The paper urges Europe to fill "capability gaps" in areas

such as air and missile defence, artillery, ammunition and

missiles, drones, military transport, artificial intelligence,

cyber warfare and infrastructure protection.



The paper – a draft of which was leaked last week - proposes

EU countries swiftly pool resources to fill the gaps, including

through Defence Projects of Common European Interest, defined by

governments and benefiting from EU financial incentives.



Moscow has condemned the EU’s rearmament push as an

incitement to war based on an "invented story" of a Russian

threat. Such words have not reassured European leaders, as

Russia made similar statements before the invasion of Ukraine.



The EU paper includes proposals outlined earlier this month

to boost countries’ defence spending.



Those include a plan for the Commission to borrow 150

billion euros ($163.35 billion) for loans to EU governments to

spend on defence projects and easing EU rules on public

finances, which the Commission says could mobilise a further 650

billion euros.



Defence policy has traditionally been the domain of national

governments and the NATO security alliance that brings together

North America and Europe.



But the EU has become increasingly involved in defence in

recent years and the White Paper suggests a fundamental shift to

a more pan-European approach.



Many EU governments say they are in favour. But how it would

work is likely to be the subject of fierce debate - over who

should have the power to decide on joint projects, who should

run them and how they should be funded.



The proposals in the paper would require the approval of the

bloc's national governments and - in some cases - the European

Parliament to become law.



In the paper, the European Commission suggests it could act

as a "central purchasing body" on behalf of EU members. But some

EU capitals have already signalled resistance, wanting to keep

such decisions in the hands of national governments.



The paper says the Commission will also work on building a

true EU-wide market for defence equipment, simplifying and

harmonising rules.



Such measures are intended to reduce the fragmentation of

Europe's defence industry, in which many manufacturers produce

different weapons systems for different governments.



For example, Europe has 19 different main battle tanks,

compared to just one in the United States and 17 types of

torpedoes compared to just two in the U.S., according to an

analysis by McKinsey.