BRUSSELS – The European Union takes the first formal step towards creating a common defense. The Foreign Affairs Council formally approved the Strategic Compass, the so-called Strategic Compass, “at a time when we are witnessing the return of war in Europe”. The communiqué announcing the initiative speaks of “an ambitious action plan to strengthen the security of the European Union and defense policy by 2030”. And again: “The most hostile security environment requires us to make a qualitative leap and increase our capacity and willingness to act, strengthen our resilience and invest more and better in our defense capabilities”.
“The threats are on the rise and the cost of inaction is clear. The Strategic Compass is a guide to action. It sets an ambitious path for our security and defense policy for the next decade. It will help us meet our responsibilities. security, in front of our citizens and the rest of the world “, commented the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell.
Up to 5,000 troops to be mobilized quickly
In detail, the Union plans to strengthen its reaction capacity in the event of a crisis, it wants to be ready to quickly deploy up to 5,000 soldiers who are able, among other things, to evacuate European citizens from areas at risk or to bring medical support, and 200 fully equipped mission experts. Regular joint exercises on land and at sea are also planned, which will begin in 2023 with the aim of making the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity operational in 2025.
War in Ukraine, thus the EU common defense is born
by Andrea Bonanni
The objectives of the Strategic Compass also include the improvement of military mobility, the strengthening of missions and operations of the common civil and military defense and security policy by promoting a quick and more flexible decision-making process, acting more solidly and guaranteeing greater solidarity. financial. In addition, the ability to anticipate, deter and respond to current security threats and challenges is expected to be strengthened: intelligence analytics, common tools for detecting and responding to a wide range of hybrid threats; establish an EU cyber defense policy to be better prepared for and respond to cyber attacks; common strategy to deal with the manipulation and interference of foreign information; maritime safety.
“An important milestone”
The strengthened defense capability of the EU “is complementary to NATO, which remains the foundation of collective defense for its members”, the foreign and defense ministers point out in a note. The agreement reached today will be submitted to the leaders of the Union who will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
The Italian Minister of Defense, Lorenzo Guerini, underlined that with the Strategic Compass the EU “reaches an important milestone. It is the first step towards a Europe of Defense. Now it is necessary to implement it”. “We are strengthening the common defense capacity at a historic moment that requires it and that marks a real watershed in terms of collective security,” she added.
“I want to underline that the Strategic Compass is not a response to the war in Ukraine. It is a response to the feeling of the EU to be more committed to Defense – explained Borrell – It comes at a complicated time, in which every European citizen more understand the need. . It has lasted two years and I do not want to say that the document is historical but it is certainly a turning point for the EU “.
The historic rearmament of Germany unlocks the common defense of the Union
by our correspondent Tonia Mastrobuoni
“We need to invest more in defense”
The High Representative then gave some figures on the military spending of the member countries of the Union and on what it will be necessary to do for the future on this front: “Today, the military spending of all European states is around 200 billion euros. ‘1.5% of GDP. It was down until 2014, even quickly, then it started to grow up to 1.5%. But we have to invest more. And I’m sure everyone will understand that if we want to be still more able to cope with situations like the one we are facing now in Ukraine we need capacity. And 1.5% of GDP is not enough. We have to spend more and we have to spend better. Better means avoiding duplication and avoiding gaps . We are working now to study these gaps in depth, where they are. Where we do not have the tools and the means to react and what we lack and what we have two or three times that is not effective. “
“The two hundred billion” of European military defense – continued Borrell – “are more or less four times the military expenditure of Russia, all together we spend about four times as much as Russia but certainly not with the same efficiency”.
Arms and military, these are the countries that spend the most. The danger of a return to the sixties for the maintenance of public accounts
edited by the Italian Public Accounts Observatory
