The European Commission (EC) recently proposed a European Defense Fund, which would support more efficient spending by Member States in joint defense capabilities and strengthen European citizens’ security.
“To guarantee our collective security, we must invest in the common development of technologies and equipment of strategic importance – from land, air, sea and space capabilities to cyber security,” said EC President Jean-Claude Juncker. “It requires more cooperation between Member States and greater pooling of national resources. If Europe does not take care of its own security, nobody else will do it for us. A strong, competitive and innovative defense industrial base is what will give us strategic autonomy.”
Citing a decrease in Member States’ defense spending by 12 percent and an overall lack of cooperation, Juncker said Europe was a ‘soft power’ and that innovation was needed by its defense sector.
To bolster Europe’s defense capabilities, the commission proposes to fund collaborative research in innovative defense technologies such as electronics, metamaterials encrypted software and robotics.
Additional steps in its action plan include developing a capability window, which would act as a financial tool allowing participating Member States to purchase certain assets together to reduce overall costs. The plan also calls for supporting European Investment Bank efforts to improve access to funding by the defense supply chains, and promoting an open and competitive market in Europe to help companies operate across borders and help Member States get better value for defense procurement.
The commission will present all proposals and decide on a course of action on Dec. 15-16.