Costa: “27 national armies are not the best way to invest in defence”

Brussels – The European Union should invest in common defence systems, with common resources, and avoid supporting different national armed forces individually. The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, does not speak openly about a European army, but certainly the indications he feels like giving to the EU member states go in that direction. “Do we want 27 large national armies or do we want to strengthen our collective response capacity?” is the question he poses to the audience at the Annual EU Budget Conference. For Costa, the answer is option number two. 

“Twenty-seven big national armies might not be the best way to guarantee peace”, and at the same time, underlines the president of the European Council, “I do not believe that 27 big national armies is the best way to invest” money. Speaking about the EU budget, Costa also has something to say about budget and defence: “More than national goods, we need European common goods, and for that we need European common funding“. 

Costa’s words lend themselves to a reading that may suggest the way of the European army and Eurobonds, so the European Council’s President clarifies. A necessary clarification, since the idea of common debt to finance the defence continues to divide states. He calls for the use of the European Defence Agency (EDA) for joint projects and welcomes the SAFE tool to finance projects in the field with €150 billion in loans. Hence, joint projects with joint procurement and budgetary resources. A first step. 

The European Commission will have to present its ideas in the coming months (the first draft should be ready by 16 July), but in the meantime, Costa too is offering his contribution to what has become the European Union’s political priority.