The Commission today presented a European plan for joint procurement in the field of defense

A European plan for joint procurement in the field of defense was presented today by the European Commission.

Responding to the 11 March Versailles European Council request for “strengthening Europe’s defense capabilities in the light of the Russian military offensive against Ukraine”, the Commission presented a plan to fill the gaps in European defense, in a coordinated but also to strengthen the European defense industry.

“Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine has a significant impact on European defense, leading to increased military spending by Member States,” the commission said. As a direct result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the member states announced increases in their defense budgets, totaling an additional 200 billion euros for the coming years. However, the Commission notes that these increases come after years of substantial cuts and insufficient investment. From 1999 to 2021, EU combined defense spending increased by 20% compared to 66% for the US, 292% for Russia and 592% for China.

Taking into account the analysis of investment gaps carried out by the European Defense Agency, the Commission identifies three urgent priorities: replenishing stocks, replacing old Soviet-era systems and strengthening air and missile defense systems. The Commission proposes a comprehensive list of strategic investments in air, land, sea, space and cyber defense.

Air and missile defense is one of the most pressing gaps. The Commission proposes investments in drones and smaller drones with surveillance capabilities. The Commission proposes to develop the Eurodrone Male Rpas, produced in cooperation with Germany, France, Italy and Spain. It also proposes upgrading multi-role fighter jets in the EU.

On land, the need to upgrade the existing stock of Main Tankers and Armored Vehicles, as well as next-generation systems, in the light of the return of large-scale, high-intensity warfare to Europe and in particular a wide range of anti-tank and anti-tank artillery .

At sea, further strengthening of Member States’ naval forces remains crucial in the light of the increasingly controversial Black, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, as well as the need to strengthen power and offshore capabilities, as well as denial of access and coastal defense. . Investments in frigates, submarines and patrol corvettes are needed. In the medium and long term, ISR capabilities and the protection of maritime communication lines will benefit from high-quality interconnected vessels reinforced with unmanned platforms for surface and submarine control and electronic warfare.

The Commission also emphasizes that the war in Ukraine has further demonstrated the importance of secure satellite connectivity, including a highly secure European connectivity program, including quantum encryption. Space data can also be a key factor in a robust early warning system, which is required to detect the departure of rockets (eg ballistic, supersonic) and monitor them.

In the near future, the Commission will set up a joint defense procurement team to work with Member States. An EU short-term instrument to strengthen defense industrial capabilities through joint procurement will be proposed for rapid adoption, to help Member States fill the most urgent and critical gaps in a cooperative manner. The Commission is ready to commit € 500 million from the EU budget for two years. This short-term instrument will pave the way for an EU framework for joint defense procurement. To this end, in the autumn of 2022, the Commission will propose a regulation on the European Defense Investment Program (EDIP). It will lay down the conditions for Member States to set up a European Defense Capabilities Consortium (EDCC). The idea is to exclude joint contracts from VAT, but also to convince the European Investment Bank to strengthen its support for the European defense industry.

“The proposed measures are expected to make the EU a stronger international partner, also within NATO, which remains the cornerstone of its members’ collective defense,” the commission said in a statement.