European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius proposed a new intergovernmental European treaty to create a defense union and prepare the EU for self-defense amid the US's shifting strategic focus to the Indo-Pacific region. He stated this during the fourth conference of the EU Legal Service, as reported by UNN with reference to Euractiv.
Details
According to Kubilius, the current founding treaties of the European Union may not be sufficient for member states to build a full-fledged "defense union."
Are the existing treaties and the institutions created on their basis an aid to European defense, or, on the contrary, an obstacle to the joint actions of Europe as a whole, and not just as a collection of 27 separate states?
The European Commissioner called for the creation of a new genuine European Defense Union, which could also include Great Britain, Norway, and Ukraine. For this, in his opinion, a separate new intergovernmental treaty is needed, which could be built on the model of the Schengen Agreement.
During his speech on Friday, the European Commissioner also raised the question of whether a new intergovernmental treaty could become the legal basis for such forces and for the creation of arms stockpiles at the EU level. How far such an initiative can go is still unclear.
At the same time, as Caroline Moser, head of the research group at the Max Planck Institute, noted, mentioning an EU army "is not very useful," as it immediately sets too high a bar.
Kubilius has previously advocated for strengthening the EU's role in defense. His ideas include creating a Security Council with permanent members, an EU army of 100,000 people, and a new headquarters. However, such proposals effectively go beyond the current treaty framework of the European Union.
Context
It should be noted that the idea of creating a new defense union was previously voiced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the beginning of her second mandate. At that time, it was also about increasing defense spending, expanding production capacities, and better coordination between European capitals. At the same time, defense policy remains largely the competence of the member states themselves.
After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has already introduced new tools to support defense production. In particular, the ASAP program worth 500 million euros was created for the production of ammunition, as well as the SAFE initiative for 150 billion euros, which is intended to strengthen joint procurement.
However, the role of the European Commission in defense is still limited by existing treaties and mainly concerns industrial policy and the single market. Instead, territorial defense remains the responsibility of EU and NATO member states.
Amid new pressure on the Alliance, particularly due to repeated threats from US President Donald Trump, discussions among European allies about strengthening the "European pillar" in NATO and its future form have intensified.