White Paper on Defense: Joint EU procurement and industrial integration with Ukraine

Brussels – Joint purchases of military equipment on behalf of member states, should they request it. The European Commission is putting itself at the service of governments, as it did during the pandemic when the EU executive bought vaccines on behalf of the 27 member states. This is the most significant proposal in the draft of the White Paper on the future of European Defense that the College of Commissioners is working on and which Eunews was able to view.

The single European buyer for security and defense needs is seen as “the most cost-effective way to rebuild European defense” and in even faster times. For this reason, “upon request of the member states, the Commission could act as a central purchasing body,” with multiple acquisition options, as there are diverse European needs.

Ammunition, drones, artificial intelligence: where to buy

The European Commission ventures into a military ‘inventory’ and draws up a list of deficiencies to work on with a sense of urgency and priority. The common projects that require work include air and missile defense systems, drones and anti-drone systems, advanced artillery systems (including high-precision and long-range missiles), munitions, information systems and artificial intelligence, and land, sea, and air combat capabilities. In all of this, the member states should get busy, with the Commission offering to act as a control room.

Industrial objective: buy European

In this work, the basic principle is “European preference,” which means that we should focus on the production and purchase of ‘made in EU’ equipment, products, and technologies. There should be three guiding principles to do things: look for a European solution; negotiate with European manufacturers and suppliers price reductions and lead times, “possibly with EU support;” if a European solution is not available at the required prices or timelines, member states should jointly turn to third-country suppliers, seeking complete control of the process.

EU support through common budget and regulatory simplification

At the financial level, the Commission’s White Paper does not include anything new compared to the approaches seen so far. The commitment to provide 150 billion euros in loans to member states through funds raised on the markets and guaranteed by the EU budget remains firm. In addition, there are eight billion for research and development activities through the European Defense Fund and 300 million euros available from the EDIRPA program for joint procurement to mobilize up to 11 billion euros in additional investment.

 It is just the beginning of a process that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen intends to pursue immediately. In the White Paper, she said she plans to start a strategic dialogue with the defense industry “immediately” and to outline a regulatory simplification proposal for the sector “by June 2025” through a new omnibus package. Again, “appropriate corrective actions” will be taken to resolve the military mobility problem, removing “remaining obstacles to the movement of troops and equipment.”

Ukraine’s industrial integration and military support

A strategic objective included in the White Paper for the future of defense concerns Ukraine’s integration with the EU from an industrial perspective. The Paper emphasizes the need to bring the candidate country into the 12-star sector market and “encourage direct investment in the Ukrainian defense industry” while ensuring “access to satellite services,” starting with those provided by ISAC, the data and information sharing center.

In addition, there is a renewed call for immediate military support for short-term needs. Here, it insists on the need to provide air defense (high-precision missiles and drones) and “1.5 million wide-caliber projectiles during 2025.” It also insists on training missions for the Ukrainian armed forces.