Europe’s new defence agency By Daniel Keohane ★ By the end of 2004 the EU should have a new defence ‘capabilities agency’. The agency’s initial impact on EU defence is likely to be small, but it could make a real difference in the medium to long run. ★ The first job for the agency will be to pressure EU member-states to spend more on new military equipment and to build a more open and competitive European market for defence goods. ★ The agency should also prod EU defence ministries to think more strategically about their longterm defence needs and encourage greater spending on defence research and development.
In contrast to economic policy, the EU has made only stuttering progress towards greater co-ordination of defence policies. This is because governments have traditionally been unwilling to cede sovereignty over their defence policies to a supranational organisation like the EU. But the Balkan wars of the 1990s showed how weak European governments were when they tried to act alone. That experience encouraged governments to work towards a common EU foreign policy, so that they would be better able to act together in future crises. In 1999, the governments agreed to forge an EU defence policy, to support their common foreign policy. Since then, EU governments have had only mixed results in developing their defence policy. But 2004 is a landmark year. Towards the end of this year, the EU is due to take over the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia from NATO. This mission will be extremely difficult, since the peace between the Serb, Croat and Bosniak communities remains fragile. Bosnia will be a crucial test of the EU’s military mettle, much more than the peacekeeping missions to Congo and Macedonia in 2003. As well as taking on new peacekeeping responsibilities, EU governments are becoming more ambitious over the types of soldiers and equipment they need in their armed forces. In April 2004,
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European defence ministers agreed that, by 2007, the EU should be able to use nine ‘battle groups’, each consisting of 1,500 troops, and deployable within two weeks. Each battle group would be able to draw on extensive air and naval assets, including transport and logistical support. At the moment, only France and Britain could easily put together a battle group. If other EU defence ministries wish to contribute, they will have to buy new equipment. Many of the EU’s cash-strapped defence ministries will have to collaborate with each other if they want to make the necessary purchases. To help them co-operate in purchasing and developing military equipment, EU governments have agreed to set up a European defence agency. The governments are currently finalising the organisational details of the agency, and its first officials should start their work by the end of 2004. The new agency has the potential to have a major impact on EU defence policy. The problem The 25 EU governments collectively spend almost S180 billion on defence, second only to the US which spends S330 billion. On paper, that amount of money should be enough to cover Europe’s defence needs. But despite these considerable financial resources,
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