The new Chair of the EU Military Committee, General Robert Brieger, called, on Monday 11 July, for the EU to move forward in creating a European defence.
“It’s time to work and move towards a real EU defence”, he told MEPs in the Security and Defence Subcommittee, explaining that the EU was still “missing some basic elements to be effective in protecting its interests”.
According to General Brieger, the military capabilities available to Europeans do not match those they need to deal with the threats they face, whether in terms of “magnitude, nature or duration”. “We need modern, interoperable European armed forces”, he added.
Furthermore, according to the General, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation between all stakeholders in the sector by remaining focused on building a true European culture of defence and to continue implementing the ‘Strategic Compass’ timetable.
Brieger also warned against poor defence spending. “To go from a past of uncoordinated savings to a future of uncoordinated spending will not mitigate the current fragmentation of the defence panorama, but rather enhance it”, he said. And he added: “We need to spend more, but we need to start by spending better and in a united way”.
The general also called for the strengthening of the EU’s CSDP missions, as foreseen by the ‘Strategic Compass’. “We must continue to support the EU’s missions as the most visible part of our common foreign and security policy and undertake a commitment to improving them”, he argued. He also recalled the structural lack of staff and resources for these missions. “Member States know very well the value of these activities; all we are asking is to match the EU and Member States’ ambitions with a coherent level of engagement and commitment. The numbers we are asking for are not that big, but could make the difference between a good result and a full success”, he warned. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)