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The European Commission aims to help the bloc prepare "for the battlefields of tomorrow".
EU countries have five years to prepare for war, according to a military plan to be presented by the European Commission on Thursday.
"By 2030, Europe needs a European defence posture strong enough to credibly deter its adversaries and respond to any aggression ," says the draft plan, which will be discussed by defence ministers on Wednesday before being presented to the College of Commissioners on Thursday.
It will go to EU leaders next week.
While EU countries are rapidly increasing their defense budgets, most of this spending "remains largely national, leading to fragmentation, cost inflation and a lack of interoperability," the 16-page document says.
The EU's executive body is pushing capitals to buy weapons and wants at least 40 percent of defense procurement to be joint contracts by the end of 2027.
The action plan also sets targets for at least 55 percent of arms purchases to come from EU and Ukrainian companies by 2028 and at least 60 percent by 2030.
Setting priorities
The document examines a number of priorities point by point.
One of its main capability objectives is to fill the EU's gaps in nine areas: air and missile defence, enablers, military mobility, artillery systems, artificial intelligence and cyber, missiles and munitions, drones and anti-drones, land and maritime combat.
The plan also mentions areas such as defensive readiness and the role of Ukraine, which would be heavily armed and supported to become a "steel hedgehog" capable of deterring Russian aggression.
It also includes timelines for three major projects: Eastern Flank Watch, European Drone Wall, and European Air Shield.
The Commission hopes that EU leaders will approve these three projects by the end of the year.
To be ready by 2030, according to the draft, projects in all priority areas should begin in the first half of 2026.
By the end of 2028, projects, contracts and funding should be in place to address the most urgent gaps.
The Commission also wants to map the increase in industrial capacity needed to fill gaps and identify supply chain risks.
This may be controversial, as European industry has traditionally been reluctant to share much information about production and supply chains with Brussels.
Finding money
The document says the EU will help mobilise up to €800 billion to be spent on defence, including the €150 billion SAFE programme for arms loans, the €1.5 billion European Defence Industrial Programme, which is still under negotiation, the European Defence Fund and, once adopted in 2027, the bloc's next multi-annual budget.
He underlines that countries will remain in control, stressing that "member states are and will remain sovereign for their own national defence".
Despite this cautious language, some member states are giving the EU a greater role in defense.
" The main objective should be to prepare the conditions so that Member States can meet their national and international capability targets ," said Germany in its official contribution to the EU's 2030 Preparedness Roadmap.
The military plan, currently under preparation, is an attempt to address concerns from the entire bloc, not just the countries that feel most threatened by Russia.
In a sign of respect for Southern European countries like Italy and Spain, it states that " Europe cannot afford to be blind to the threats coming from other parts of the world ," mentioning the Middle East and Africa.
The draft also seeks to insist that the EU coordinate closely with NATO. The alliance and some national capitals are concerned that Brussels is creating a parallel defense structure that would complicate war plans instead of integrating seamlessly with NATO.
The goal is to allow the EU to become more independent in a much more dangerous world.
" Authoritarian states increasingly seek to intervene in our societies and economies ," the draft states.
" Traditional allies and partners are focusing their attention on other regions of the world... Europe's defense posture and capabilities must be ready for tomorrow's battlefields. "/ Adapted from "Politico"
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