At the beginning of March, the European Commission and the European External Action Service laid out the EU’s first defense industrial strategy. Can it survive member states’ reluctance to increase defense spending instead of social expenditures?
The European Defense Industrial Strategy (EDIS) in line with projects developed within the framework of the Permanent Structure Cooperation allows the EU to create legislative proposals, such as the European Defense Industrial Program to boost the waning defense sector. Within three years 1.5 billion euro financial support is just the beginning of ensuring availability and supply of defense products (non-lethal) and to kickstart the EU’s competitiveness in the sector.
While the Permanent Structured Cooperation – started in 2018 – placed concrete defense projects and proposals on the table for the European Council, the Defense Industrial Strategy is meant to provide long-term sustainable financing for an industry that has been neglected for the past decades. As the EU realized it cannot face security challenges without becoming a security actor itself, the next 10 years will be decisive if the strategy will be successful:
- EDIS wants Member States to collaborate more in increasing funding, joint research and innovation collaboration. This is a crucial element since most European societies are “welfare” societies and have been more reluctant to spend money on their own defense sector.
- Responsiveness, including shortening the defense supply chain and reconfiguring industrial sectors for defense purposes can be quite a challenge due to relative peace on the European continent and in the EU.
- Promoting strategic thinking and preparing for worst-case scenarios not only in an “all-governmental” approach but making the private sector more resilient is key if the EU wants to have a stronger voice in the world.
In comparison to NATO, where the 2% GDP spending threshold has been set as a minimum, strengthening the “European leg of defense” in the time of waning American support seems like a fair bet. The question is, can European countries work together in this area without strong US support, since France as a nuclear power often raises its different interests towards Germany, who has been “defense dormant” since the Cold War.
Mostly, internal politics will decide what ways of cooperation and coordination can take place, not to endanger the electorate and to keep the political status quo on the European political landscape. The question is, will this be enough for the renewal of one of the most important sectors of our time? Moreover, people will have to realize, that the challenges societies are facing are increasingly complex and require multitude approaches, which is why the quality of civil-military cooperation will be an important test for legitimacy and actorness. While defense forces in the past were upheld as a necessity up to the Cold War, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, defense became more specialized and less acknowledged by societies (although not becoming less relevant).
While the Bundeswehr plans to recruit an additional 20.000 troops in the next half-decade, the values of younger generations have drastically changed in the past decades. While past generations were born into war, generation Y and Z were born into peace which they believe is a natural phenomenon. However, looking at the number of increasing global conflicts within societies, this is becoming more of a challenge. Political polarization, economic differences, and a feeling of loss of a clear strategy for the future will put more people under social pressure, the question is how can politicians ensure not only the feeling of peace, but also physical security? The upcoming European elections will definitely be a turning point in the EU’s history which will give an answer to the success or failure of this endeavor.
Photo credit: Euronews
