Money is Not Everything: How to Enhance the EU’s Security and Defence Readiness

The war in Ukraine and worrying shifts in the transatlantic relationship are forcing EU member states and institutions to think more seriously about Europe’s security and defence. Although the EU has had a Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) since the early 2000s, it is only in recent years that it has taken a comprehensive approach to security and defence that goes beyond crisis management overseas. In fact, if one looks at a range of recent EU strategy documents such as the White Paper on European Defence, the ‘Niinistö Report’, and the internal security strategy, one notes an EU approach that addresses most areas of security and defence.

Resilience, preparedness and readiness have become the watchwords of the EU’s approach to security and defence. Ever since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has had to move in bold, new ways to secure its security and defence. What is more, the re-election of President Trump in the United States has yet again raised serious questions about Europe’s security and the transatlantic alliance. Overall, the EU is being expected to invest more in its own security and defence, and to do so while reducing potentially harmful dependencies. The fact is that any understanding of security and defence today includes the need to recognise the importance of factors such as technologies, critical raw materials, and critical infrastructure.