According to Liam Fox, the former British Defence Secretary, the EU's plans to create its own defence structures could undermine NATO's defence capabilities and lead to its collapse.
Points of attention
- The creation of the EU's defence structures could undermine NATO's capabilities and make member states dependent on centralised control from Brussels.
- The European Union's defence initiatives risk creating a confusing model of a "defence union" that will not be powerful enough to protect citizens successfully.
- The financial burden of creating their defence departments can reduce the collective contributions of European countries to NATO against the background of a lack of real responsibility.
- Duplication of organizations and political weakness of the EU threaten the effectiveness of NATO's collective security and capabilities.
- The EU's defense initiatives risk not supplementing but drawing NATO into an internal struggle and veto, causing additional difficulties in ensuring Europe's security.
Why the EU's plans to create its defence structures could harm NATO
The next frontier of the EU's federalist project is gaining control over what makes states sovereign — defence. There is a debate in Brussels about how to achieve this. Will EU member states transfer their forces to the control of the EU command? Or Brussels can dictate which branches of the defense industry are located within the EU, thereby making all members dependent on each other and on the center, — explains the British Defence Secretary.
He emphasised that, fortunately, some European countries want to preserve their national sovereignty and defence institutions.
What risks do EU defence initiatives pose for NATO and Europe
He noted that the EU's plans to create its defence departments might contribute to the emergence of a confusing model of a "defence union" that will undermine the defence capabilities of European countries and will not be powerful enough for a successful defence.
Liam Fox emphasised that the current EU defence project risks undermining collective security for three reasons.
First, financing such a defence union will further reduce the collective contributions of the European countries to NATO.
At the same time, 80% of NATO's defence spending falls on non-EU Alliance countries.
The second risk is duplication of organization. Brussels' fixation on the processes and political aspects of defense has created a labyrinth of EU defense initiatives, programs and acronyms. The creation of EU organizations is redundant when NATO and national systems already exist. The third risk is the political weakness of the EU. ... The defense initiatives of the EU will not primarily complement NATO's capabilities, but will involve them in an internal struggle and a veto by the Brussels bureaucracy, which will be responsible for sending men and women to combat operations, but in principle will not have any responsibility, — emphasises the ex-British Defence Secretary.
