What could a new bloc that takes responsibility for Europe's security look like?

Recent developments have made clear that neither NATO nor the European Union is fully suited to meet the mounting challenges that Europe faces.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that a viable framework for European defense and security cooperation will require establishing something like the old Western European Union (WEU), the ten-member bloc which ceased operations in 2011.

Read more about why such a step could strengthen Europe in the column by Sweden’s former prime minister and foreign minister Carl Bildt: Coalition instead of NATO: how Europe should take care of its security while preparing for a US "withdrawal".

The author begins by drawing attention to the shortcomings of both the European Union and NATO.

In particular, the EU ends up paralyzed whenever just one or two member states veto its decisions. Worse, NATO has long been key to Europe’s territorial defense, but the United States’ commitment to the alliance – and especially to European security – is increasingly in doubt.

"Dialogue among NATO member states is no longer as relevant as it once was, especially on the matter of Russia’s war in Ukraine," Carl Bildt notes.

That is why, he argues, new, informal frameworks have already been taking shape on the sidelines. Over the past year, the coalition of the willing that emerged to maintain support for Ukraine has become increasingly important. Many now refer to it with capital letters: the Coalition of the Willing (CoW).

Its informal leadership, an "E3" triumvirate of Britain, France, and Germany, now meets fairly regularly, demonstrating that it fulfills a need that neither the EU nor NATO can.

"So why not take the logical next step of creating a new version of the old WEU?" the former Swedish foreign minister suggests.

According to him, there are many ways to institutionalize a new WEU without building big structures and excessively complicated arrangements, and without further undermining or duplicating either the EU or NATO.

What matters is that those who are still willing to defend Western values do something.

"The first year of Trump’s second administration has forced this reckoning upon Europe. With three more years to go, dithering is not an option.

Establishing a new WEU should be high on the agenda, because European security cannot wait," the former Swedish foreign minister writes.