On “Europeanization” Of European Conventional Defence: The Case For A European Security Council

We are witnessing global geopolitical changes on an unprecedented scale. On the one hand: Russian aggression in Ukraine and the possibility of a Russian attack on EU or NATO member states during the next 2 to 3 years, predicted by intelligence services of EU countries. On the other hand: the understandable demand by the US for burden sharing in Europe  and  the possibility of  their presence   diminished to a supplementary role in the case of need (including nuclear umbrella), and shifting their conventional resources  from Europe to the Indo Pacific or Western Hemisphere, as  is very clearly stated in the new National Defence Strategy.

“This is Europe’s independence moment,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament in her recent statement. I cannot agree more! This is Europe’s independence in defence moment!

Independence and power of European defence have become a clear strategic priority for the European Union.

NATO and the transatlantic partnership will certainly remain the cornerstone of Europe’s security architecture, but at the same time Europe needs to be prepared to take on more and more responsibility for defence of the continent on its own shoulders. This is also a very clear message of the US National Defence Strategy: “As U.S. forces focus on Homeland defense and the Indo-Pacific, our allies and partners elsewhere will take primary responsibility for their own defense with critical but more limited support from American forces.”

Independence for Europe means responsibility and readiness.

Well-known experts have recently published important analytical commentaries and papers on the future of European independence in defence.

I  also recently on various occasions have  spoken out on the same topic and raised different questions and reminded strategic  ideas, which prominent European leaders were suggesting during the last 10 years. However,  those ideas did not materialize till now.

The following broader  text, which reflect my personal opinion, was inspired by those ideas, which have the history,  and sharp analysis of today’s experts.  I hope this text will be helpful in our most important discussions of today: how to build European independence in defence  and how to create a true European Defence Union.

Full text (pdf): Andrius Kubilius. On “Europeanization” Of European Conventional Defence