The Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), discussed by EU Defence Ministers at the Steering Board of the European Defence Agency (EDA) on Tuesday 15 November, reveals that cooperation remains the exception rather than the norm.
According to the EDA, “defence planning continues to take place mainly in isolation and Member States are still not convinced by European cooperation projects”.
Thus, according to figures obtained from Member States, 52% of defence investments are national and 18% collaborative. Information is not available for the remaining 30%. “Less than 20% of investments are made in collaboration; this must change”, warned High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, highlighting that three years ago it was 11%, but that the ambition of the ‘Strategic Compass’ is 35%.
According to the EDA, the main drivers of cooperation appear to be national end-benefits, cost savings, strengthening strategic partnerships and increasing operational efficiency. Cooperation mainly takes place between neighbouring states within existing cooperation frameworks, while broader European collaborative approaches are generally not the preferred choice, the Agency says. Conversely, complex legislation, pressing timelines or lack of budget or qualified staff are the main obstacles.
“Spending in isolation and turning to non-European suppliers risks increasing fragmentation and undermining wider efforts to build capable and coherent European armed forces”, said Director General Jiří Šedivý.
According to him, ”once the investment shortfalls of the past have been made good, Member States should work on developing a common long-term perspective for the EU defence landscape, with greater emphasis on a European approach to cooperative capability planning”.
The CARD report argues that the additional funds announced by Member States in recent months could fill long-standing capability gaps: it is possible that by 2023 Member States could have recovered from the underinvestment in defence that followed the 2008 financial crisis. In 2021, defence efforts reached €214 billion and “growth is estimated to continue to €70 billion by 2025”, the report says.
In particular, the CARD recommends that Member States develop a common long-term capability perspective for the EU’s defence landscape - envisaging how it will be shaped by 2040 - with greater support for the adoption of a European approach to cooperative capability planning.
It is also necessary, according to the report, to advance the possibilities of collaboration of the CARD through projects within the framework of the permanent structured cooperation or the European Defence Fund.
Based on the information collected from the Member States, the Agency has identified over 100 opportunities for cooperation: 45 for capacity building, 42 for R&T and 23 for operational collaboration. It highlights the possibility of cooperation on unmanned aerial systems, maritime surveillance, anti-tank systems, tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles, cyberspace operations, satellite communication, medical capabilities and nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical weapons defence.
See the report: https://aeur.eu/f/42n
Increase in the budget of the European Defence Agency
In addition, the Defence Ministers approved an increase in the EDA’s budget for 2023, by 15% compared to 2022, to €43.5 million. The operational budget from which the EDA directly funds defence cooperation projects will increase by 47% next year.
Ministers also adopted the EDA’s planning framework for the period 2023-2025, which outlines the nature, scope and expected impact of the EDA’s activities in support of Member States in the coming years.
Signature of the MICNET programme
In addition, alongside the Steering Board, the Defence Ministers of 18 Member States signed the new EDA programme for the MICNET operational network (Military Computer Emergency Response Team) (see EUROPE 13061/2).
The objectives of this operational network are to facilitate the sharing of information, to develop a strong response to cyber threats and to improve the overall resilience of the European Defence Community, said Belgian Minister Ludivine Dedonder. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)