Brussels – On Feb. 3, in the elegant setting of Limont Castle, halfway between Brussels and Liège, EU heads of state and government will meet for a first “informal retreat” – the new format sought by António Costa to allow leaders to discuss without the pressure of having to agree on binding conclusions – on the subject of European defense. “Europe needs to assume greater responsibility for its own defense,” the European Council president wrote in the invitation letter sent to colleagues from the 27 member countries.
The return of “high-intensity war on our continent,” hybrid and cyber attacks against the critical infrastructure of member countries, not to mention the dramatic and explosive situation in the Middle East: the EU can no longer sleep soundly and the new imperative in Brussels is to increase its defense capabilities. The objective of the meeting will be “to provide guidance to the Commission and the High Representative as they prepare a white paper on the future of European defense, which will cover joint defense initiatives and the resources necessary to develop them,” Costa indicated.
For the EU leader, there are two key words: “responsibility” and “cooperation.” The EU needs to become “more resilient, more efficient, more autonomous and a more reliable security and defense actor,” and, despite the general increase in national defense spending, “substantial further investment is required” in the sector. However, as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte already said, it is not enough to spend more: we need to spend better. For Costa, this means recognizing “common interest in cooperating more closely at a European level in order to maximize economies of scale and reduce costs, guarantee interoperability, ensure stable and long-term demand…and prevent duplication.”
It is a sensitive issue, especially at a time in history when the sovereignist wind is blowing hard on the old continent that wants to restore strength and centrality to the states, to the detriment of any greater integration among member countries. The Portuguese socialist knows this and flies low, identifying the key issues on which to focus the Feb. 3 debate: “Do we agree to spend more and better together?” he asks heads of state and government in the Limont retreat invitation letter. Then he tries to go a bit further, speculating on “additional common options” that could be considered “in light of the considerable financial needs.”
The big absentee in Costa’s invitation letter is Donald Trump, a loose cannon about to return to the leadership of the world’s leading military power. The EU leader, embracing Brussels’ caution about the transatlantic ally, omits Trump’s threats on Greenland and Panama and the tycoon‘s request to NATO countries to increase military spending to 5 percent of GDP.
Costa asked Atlantic Alliance chief Rutte, the former Dutch premier, for a helping hand by inviting him to join EU leaders for a working lunch. “This will offer us a timely opportunity to discuss the most pressing defense-related issues, in particular our support for Ukraine, as well as EU-NATO cooperation,” he explained to colleagues. He also forwarded the invitation to Keir Starmer, the British prime minister because the UK remains “a key partner for the European Union, particularly in the field of defense.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
