Europe talks war and defence as Trump election looms

European leaders this week debated the future of the bloc’s security infrastructure, in the wake of two reports on the implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). 

The debate focused on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, with MEPs from mainstream parties generally calling on the EU to advance decision-making reforms on foreign policy and invest heavily in defence architecture. 

The first report, by German MEP David McAllister (EPP) was supported by 338 votes in favour, 86 against and 122 abstentions: all Maltese MEPs were present on the day, with Nationalist MEP David Casa voting against – the only EPP member to do so – as well as Labour MEPs Alex Agius Saliba and Alfred Sant. 

In another report by S&D MEP Sven Mikser, calling for an acceleration to the EU’s financial and military assistance to Ukraine, Casa too voted against – again the only EPP member to do so – together with Agius Saliba and Sant. The report was backed by 350 to 91, and 96 abstentions. None of the Maltese MEPs addressed any part of the debate. 

Von der Leyen: Europe must wake up 

The debate was addressed by Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who said European illusions of peace had been shattered by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, now in its third year and more entrenched and intense than ever. 

“To put it as bluntly as outgoing President Niinistö of Finland did last month: ‘Europe has to wake up.’ And I would add: urgently. We all know there is so much at stake here – our freedom and our prosperity. And we have to start acting like it,” Von der Leyen said, calling for unity on the future of the European security architecture. 

“The truth is we have not been living with conflict merely since 2022, but for far longer. The threats to our security, our prosperity and our way of life come in many different forms, and we all know them. Some of them are obvious, some of them are hazier on the surface. Be it tackling political interference reducing our dangerous dependencies – a policy I have called de-risking – or be it eliminating hostile actors from our critical infrastructure. We Europeans must be on guard. This is not just about defeating bullies on the battlefield but across all our society.” 

The bloc’s military spending reached a record €270 billion in 2023, according to EU Council President Charles Michel, in the face of Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

The EU is currently financing the Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping against missiles shot by Houthi rebels in Yemen as part of their blockade against Israeli aggression on unarmed Palestinians in Gaza. National defence budgets have already risen by 20% from 2023, with NATO expecting 18 of its members to beat the 2% defence spending target in 2024. The European Peace Facility has mobilised €6.1 billion to support the Ukrainian armed forces with lethal and non-lethal military equipment and supplies. 

Von Der Leyen also called on member states to “turbocharge” the EU’s defence industrial capacity. Europe must spend more, spend better, spend European… We will identify European Defence Projects of Common Interest, to focus efforts and resources where it has the biggest impact and added value.” 

Party leaders 

EPP chair Manfred Weber, whose party supports the creation of a European army, once again called for Europe to “be prepared for war as a way of preserving peace”, quoting George Washington. 

“Solidarity is being undermined. I’m concerned that Emanuel Macron is starting a senseless debate on whether French troops should be on the ground in Ukraine, or that Olaf Scholz is asking whether Germany would be party to the war by delivering missiles to Ukraine. This only confirms Russian propaganda when they say that Europe is a party to the war by supporting Ukraine. 

“I say, ‘stop! Putin is threatening our lifestyle’ - Russian appeasement won’t work as we leant in the Second World War. We need people who are willing to lead and show unity, not division, because Putin will only understand strength.” 

Weber has previously called for “a European pillar of defence”, including an EU-wide missile defence system and a cyber-defence brigade to fend off attacks from Russia and elsewhere. Weber also said it was time to talk with France about how the country’s nuclear defence “can be embedded in European structures.” 

The S&D vice-president Pedro Marques had a pointed challenge to Von Der Leyen, accusing the EU of having lost its moral compass in using its soft power to build alliances with many other countries. 

“It is us who should be questioning what we are doing in these dramatic times. If we want to be safe in this world, we have to be a more geopolitical Europe, but the world will not forgive us for our noble standards. The world will not partner with us if they are left behind because they are not Caucasian or rich.” 

Marques said the EU had not forged lasting partnerships with Africa and Latin America. “Will we just give in to President Macron’s domestic problems and turn our back to the rest of the world?” 

Marques also accused the EPP of trying to tear down Green Deal policies that would keep Europe safe against the climate crisis, “all for just a few thousand votes.” 

On the hand, liberal Reform chair Valeri Hayer, a member of the Macronite Renaissance party, said Europe could not wait any longer for other powerful countries to come to its defence. 

“We need to look at our own security. We cannot wake up the day after the US elections to say we were not prepared. We cannot count on the far left and far right in this parliament... we need to show collective responsibility, or we would be playing in the hands of our opponents. Who better than Europe to protect Europe? And we need to put an end to unanimity on foreign policy, where one country in hock to a foreign power can undermine all we do.” 

Greens co-chair Terry Reintke said accused Macron of not showing mature leadership in the wake of Russia’s two-year war of aggression. “What we need is a Franco-German engine driving these efforts, providing strength… to provide the right cause for security and defence in Europe.” 

Reintke also said the ideological, dogmatic opposition to investment did not make sense, referring to the New Green Deal as key to European security. “Investment is key to contributing to social cohesion, because a socially divided Europe actually constitutes a threat to our democracy, so we cannot show fatigue when it comes to investing in social justice.” 

The Left’s co-chair Martin Schirdewan delivered a different kind of rhetoric, saying European leaders were using words such as “battle-ready” to hide its shortcomings on human rights, migration, and austerity politics. “Your only call for war is there to feed profits to the defence companies,” Schirdewan. “Have you gone absolutely crazy? Do you want an arms race to lead to the next catastrophe, while at the time people have less social security, less healthcare, schools falling apart, while all profits go to shareholders? It is these policies that fuel the far-right and threaten democracy.” 

Earlier in February, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said the EU must step up defence capabilities and be ready to face threats without the support of its long-time security partner the United States. 

Metsola said Europe needs to spend more “to strengthen our defence industry and get practical about our strategic autonomy”, stressing that a European “defence union” should be “complementing, not competing with NATO.” 

“Europe cannot waver, when we see what could happen across the Atlantic … Europe needs to stand strong,” she said. 

Her comments came after former U.S. President Donald Trump said he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO member that didn’t pay enough for defence, sparking outrage across Europe. 

As for the European Parliament’s role in arming the EU, Metsola said MEPs would continue pushing for joint procurement and development of weapons to be “financed by the Union through a dedicated budget under parliamentary co-decision and scrutiny.” 

European defence strategy 

The EU’s internal market commissioner Thierry Breton is set to present next Tuesday his much-touted European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS), and accompanying European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP). 

Together, these initiatives promise to advance the EU’s ambitions to foster a resilient defence industrial base, notably bolstering the continent’s production capacity of weapons and ammunition while incentivising cross-border cooperation. 

Two years after the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, EDIS will be the latest addition to a growing list of EU announcements intended to ramp up the bloc’s credibility in all things industrial-defence. 

The strategy is designed to provide an overarching, coherent framework to fill gaps in existing schemes and organise long-term production perspectives for the defence industry. 

For that purpose, the European Commission has earmarked €1.5bn for the EDIP. The programme will build on previous instruments known as ASAP — Act in Support of Ammunition Production, and EDIRPA — European Defence Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement Act — that will end in 2025. 

Europe’s weaknesses have become clear as the war drags on its doorstep, with its supply chains falling short of fulfilling the needs of the Ukrainian resistance. German defence minister Boris Pistorius warned that the EU’s target to deliver one million artillery shells to Ukraine by March 2024 will not be met. Since the beginning of the conflict, the EU committed €144bn financial support to Ukraine but was only able to allocate about half that; a significant share of that effective support is the result of purchases of ready-to-buy US supplies. 

Amid tense negotiations for the reform of the European Peace Facility, a tool used to reimburse bilateral donations to Ukraine, the French have become more vocal about a ‘European preference’ in defence purchases. 

Ursula von der Leyen is spearheading efforts to implement political changes aimed at revitalising the EU’s defence capabilities. She has proposed the reorganisation of commissioners’ portfolios to appoint a dedicated Industrial Defence Europe chief, or so-called EU defence commissioner.