How EU plans to strengthen its defence and what role Ukraine will play in it
On Thursday, 23 October, EU leaders will meet at the European Council in Brussels to discuss plans to strengthen the Union’s defence capabilities by 2030. These plans are outlined in the defence "roadmap" presented last week by the European Commission.
According to European Pravda, the issue is not controversial. The Commission’s proposals are expected to be approved.
Read more about what the European Commission is proposing and how (and when) Europe plans to ensure its own security in the article by Tetiana Vysotska, European Pravda’s correspondent in Brussels: A space shield, drones and the guard of the Eastern Flank: what kind of defence policy the EU is negotiating.
It is expected that EU leaders will today call for the implementation of the Commission’s proposed roadmap "swiftly and on a large scale."
The "roadmap" is a fairly concrete document, something uncommon for the EU. It defines key objectives and provides clear timelines for their implementation.
The main external threat to the EU is identified, of course, as Russia.
Accordingly, the key priorities include: protecting the eastern flank, closing "gaps" in the supply of priority weapons and ammunition, joint planning of defence procurement and production and improving military mobility between EU member states.
"Ukraine remains Europe’s first line of defence and is an integral part of Europe’s defence and security architecture, and the EU will continue the support and intensified cooperation with Ukraine," the roadmap states.
In particular, Europe aims to benefit from Ukraine’s combat experience, its innovative achievements, the effective coordination between its civilian and military sectors and its expanding industrial capacity.
Long-term security guarantees for Ukraine are to be ensured, among other means, through "reparation loans."
"This would create the predictable multi-year finance for Ukraine and ensure that Ukraine has immediate access to a steady flow of superior military equipment, predominantly from the European and Ukrainian defence industry, in line with its battlefield requirements, fuelling industrial partnerships with European companies to innovate and scale-up," the European Commission’s proposal reads.
Another important aspect of EU-Ukraine cooperation is the creation of a Drone Alliance.
It will promote joint ventures between Ukrainian and European companies outside Ukraine, combining European technologies with Ukrainian expertise and know-how.
Ukraine will also take full part in implementing EU financial instruments such as SAFE and EDIP/the Ukraine Support Instrument (USI), to enable the purchase of equipment for Ukraine together with Ukraine and, as far as possible, from Ukrainian industry.
The ultimate goal is for Ukraine’s defence industry to become fully integrated with Europe’s, ensuring production at scale for Ukraine’s needs and maximising the potential of Ukrainian manufacturers for Europe’s defence requirements.
The European Commission has identified eight priority areas for the EU’s defence strategy.
EU member states will develop each of these areas jointly. Following the model of the "coalitions" supporting Ukraine, "EU capability coalitions" will be created to jointly purchase or produce specific weapons such as drones, air defense systems, ammunition and more, or to address other defence needs.
It is worth noting that the previously publicised "drone wall," mentioned by European officials earlier, has now evolved into the European Counter-Drone Initiative.
The anti-drone project has shifted from a regional initiative to a pan-European one.