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We look at 4 Tiers of possible defense integration: from establishing a EU foreign policy as the foundation to the ambitious goal of forming a full-fledged EU army. An EU Defense Union is gaining momentum and sparking discussions across the globe. But what does it mean? The pressing question we face is the depth of integration necessary to assert European sovereignty on the global stage, especially against superpowers such as the US, China, and Russia. In today’s geopolitical climate, where the notion of national sovereignty faces challenges, a certain degree of integration seems imperative to safeguard European interests and autonomy.
We delve into the perspectives of influential European leaders like Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Tusk, and Olaf Scholz, exploring their global aspirations and how they shape the EU’s defense strategy. The video also highlights the divergent visions of key EU member states—Germany, France, and Poland—each proposing unique paths toward achieving a more secure and unified Europe. This exploration not only sheds light on the complexities of EU defense integration but also underscores the critical need for a unified approach in navigating the intricate landscape of international relations and security.
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Sources:
https://www.statista.com/chart/14636/defense-expenditures-of-nato-countries/
https://eupinions.eu/de/text/the-war-and-the-vote
https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/en/topics/latest-news/2024/february/two-years-of-war-european-citizens-want-a-common-defense-policy
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-vows-to-make-military-the-backbone-of-europes-defense/a-67361593
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240212-germany-scholz-mass-production-european-arms-defence
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-prepares-for-decade-long-confrontation-with-west-estonia-warns/#:~:text=Intelligence%20service%20notes%20 significant%20price%20in%20 Russian%20 military%20production.&text=Russia%20is%20gearing%20up%20for,in%20a%20report%20published%20Tuesday.
https://www.euronews.com/2024/02/09/poland-signs-military-schengen-deal-alongside-germany-and-netherlands
That’s right, Trump’s comments effectively signal to Russia that it’s open season on countries not hitting the NATO defence spending benchmark of 2% of their GDP. This includes most of Europe and major players like Spain, Italy, and Germany. Additionally, if Trump wins the presidency, he could try to leave NATO, given his scepticism
About its value. On top of that, Europe is at war, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entering its third year with no end in sight. Russia is reportedly enhancing its military strength, including an increase in artillery and armoured vehicles, potentially shifting the balance in its favour.
Reports indicate that Russia could continue its military activities in Ukraine for another three years and plans to expand its military personnel from 1.15 million to 1.5 million by 2026, gearing up for a possible confrontation with NATO. In response the European continent is getting very nervous, with calls all over Europe for
More Defence spending and cooperation. And it is not just senior politicians. According to a recent survey, a whopping 87% of Europeans believe that the EU needs a common defence policy. But what does a common Defence Policy even mean?
At EU Made Simple, we’ve put our heads together and mapped out the various stages of military integration within the EU into a four-tiered pyramid. The idea isn’t necessarily to reach the top tier as the ultimate objective but to consider it the highest level of integration that can be achieved.
The real question is how far up this pyramid the EU decides to climb, if at all. Before diving deeper into European defence, have you ever considered the importance of defending your personal digital territory? That’s where Guardio, our sponsor, comes into the picture, offering the best online protection.
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Your online defence is just as crucial as any other. Now let’s get back to European Defense and our pyramid, where we’ll explore the various tiers of potential EU military integration. The base of our pyramid is essential: all European countries must align on foreign policy.
This step is crucial, without it European countries will never reach consensus on key issues such as military missions or defence budgets. As we move up the pyramid, the next stage involves deeper cooperation within the EU in specific areas. First, the EU could pool together resources for a joint defence budget to enhance military
Capabilities and funding for joint exercises. Second, the EU could oversee joint military assets such as drones or transport aircraft, making them combat-ready and available for both EU and NATO missions. Third, the EU could encourage industries across member states to cooperate, aiming to fortify Europe’s defence sector.
And Fourth, the EU could encourage shared procurement, with EU countries buying together to leverage economies of scale. According to McKinsey & Company, this approach could slash equipment costs by 30%, saving Europe around 15 billion euros each year. There are many other areas of cooperation but these are some of the main ones.
The next tier introduces the concept of an “Army of Europeans.” Think of this as a collective force of let’s say 60,000 soldiers from various EU countries, equipped and training together. This force would complement, not replace, national armies, offering a way for countries
To blend some of their military capabilities into a larger EU effort while still retaining their individual forces. Now reaching the top of our pyramid, we have the concept of a full EU Army. This is about building a unified military from the ground up, drawing on the EU’s population
To form a single, cohesive force. It’s obviously a long-term vision that would require developing new training regimes, strategies, and crucially EU structures. Initially, this would depend on support from the militaries of member states, but the aim could eventually be to have one single unified force representing all of Europe.
By this point many of you are probably thinking that the EU is already active in multiple tiers. And you are right! The EU has agreements to try and align foreign policy, PESCO for collaborative projects and a €13 billion Defense Fund for R&D. And even in tier 3, there are the EU Battlegroups
Consisting of 1500 soldiers for rapid crisis response. It all sounds promising, right? Unfortunately, there’s a significant snag in how these initiatives are playing out in reality. The root of the issue traces back to the foundational tier: achieving a truly unified foreign policy.
Consider the European Battlegroups, which were introduced in 2007, but guess what – they have NEVER been deployed. There have been critical moments, such as the conflict in the Congo in 2008, the upheaval in Libya in 2011, and the prolonged engagement in Afghanistan, where the deployment of Battlegroups could have made a significant impact
The big problem? It’s all about unanimity. Every one of the 27 EU countries has to agree before any action can be taken. And if even one country says no, nothing happens. This makes it really tough for the EU to act fast or use rapid response teams, like the
European Battlegroups, even when they’re needed. This is why there is also a Tier that you probably did not expect: Tier 0. reflecting the current predominant state of the EU: relying mainly on national foreign policies and armies. At EU Made Simple, we firmly believe that we need to give up some national sovereignty
In favour of European sovereignty, so that we can effectively counter global powers like China, Russia, and the United States. As individual nations, we are irrelevant, even France and Germany, but as a united European continent of around 700 million people, we cannot be ignored.
We’re not insisting on reaching tier 4, but we believe that to ensure our security, we have to aim for tiers 1 and 2 in the upcoming election cycle. Otherwise, instead of voluntarily giving a little sovereignty to the EU, where we can
Still exert influence, we involuntarily risk losing a whole lot more to foreign powers, over which we have far less control. And we are happy to see Tier 1 is actually starting to happen! A groundbreaking EU reform proposal is advancing through the Parliament and Council, aiming
To shift from unanimous Voting to Qualified Majority Voting. This is a critical first step to reach tier 1 in our pyramid. For more details, see our video linked above. Europe’s leaders are also waking up. Germany, France and Poland have breathed fresh air into the Weimar Triangle, an alliance
Aiming to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of EU defence. But on defence issues, the three capitals simply do not see eye to eye. First off, when it comes to supporting Ukraine financially, the contributions vary widely: Germany has pitched in €17.1 billion, Poland €3 billion, while France has added just
€0.54 billion, leaving Germany less than pleased. Then there’s the question of how to fund European defence. Macron is keen on introducing EU Defense Bonds to encourage spending, but Germany, with its well-known dislike for debt, isn’t thrilled about the idea.
Lastly, on the topic of European unity, Macron’s vision includes grand plans for things like an EU aircraft carrier fleet and a nuclear defence strategy. If he had it his way, the EU would be steaming ahead towards tier 3 or even tier 4.
But Germany prefers to keep things more low-key and decentralised, politely declining to jump on board with France’s ambitious proposals. At EU Made Simple, and this is our opinion, we feel there is a lack of vision and strategy from one leader in particular: Scholz.
While Macron’s proposals might be divisive, at least he’s putting ideas on the table for discussion. But we just don’t really know what Scholz wants. And his opinions change all the time, Macron kind of sums it up well here: We hope that Germany, Europe’s largest economy, will assume a more significant role in guiding
Europe through the challenges posed by Putin and potentially Trump. The European Union needs France and Germany to work together towards a tier 1 or tier 2, and currently we are seeing little of that. So which tier do you think the EU should move towards? Do you agree with us?
Let us know in the comments. And remember to check out Guardio, the #1 Security Tool for its effective protection against online threats and identity theft. Go to guard.io/eusimple and Sign up for a 7-day free trial. Thanks for watching! And you’re interested in supporting our work, please subscribe to the channel or consider
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41 Comments
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Imagine having to bring a whole continent together just to be relevant that is just sad lmao.
as a french we have the companies to develop perfect weapons, or defensive weapons. the funding is the nerves of the war.
a common defence is really important. ukraine is being attacked because it's lonely, if together we need to do together a structured strategy.
imagine if we would have the same incentives as the US or China does for army, tech, food, etc we can compete guys, US GDP is roughly 25 Trilion, china is roughly 20Trilion. us together we are the same as them.
let's face it the time has passed, we now need to be united.
and unanimity within europe doesn't work anymore…
So, me a Portuguese have to agree to create an army where probably Germans would lead, so our foreign policy has to be dictated by a country who clearly doesn't care about us and the other small EU countries. Where I have seen that before?
I am from the Czech Republic and I can't imagine that we're not building EU army already.
We need common EU army now.
But OK people are people and have tendency to solve problems after something happens…
But surely it would be possible to start with few countries willing to go ahead (like with euro forexample) and it could start with some combination with national army. 2% of GDP is recommended for military spending. 1% could go for national army and 1% for the EU army.
But as it was correctly said in the video important is majority voting, centralisation.
And to start the process at last.
Tier 2 should be first step before Tier 1
The EU should take it one step at a time. Common procurement before common polixy and all that.
Your tier system is broken. 4 is much more reasonable than 1
Without a really early agreement about nuclear possibilities you don't have to think even about tier 1. If France does not want to share their nuclear shield all other nations have to buy US weapons to hope for their nukes or even develop their own nukes and noone wants to see Germany building and testing nukes.
Foreign policy (tier 1) also depends on your possibility to strike back with nukes in the worst case – if you can't then you have to discuss about every bullet for months before delivering something to eg Ukraine. May be a bad example, because Germany without nukes really supports Ukraine while France only has a big mouth.
Ultimately, I like tier 4 the most because of the scale of deterrence it would provide to the EU, and the scale the EU would have to assist in situations like Ukraine, or other potential conflicts around the world.
EU is doomed because the most developed nations have a superiority complex and only think about their interests. They look down on the smaller members and ignore their needs. Romania and Bulgaria are kept outside of Schengen despite fulfilling the requirements. They treat us like second-class citizens despite the fact that we actually do what they should do. If you look at the map, these small nations are the ones who actually pay their share for defense. Of course, they do because we are in close proximity to Russia and Ukraine.
All other EU members don't care because they think they are safe since the conflict's distance is greater for them. With this mentality, the EU will achieve nothing. The EU is losing its relevance on the global stage year by year, and we will wake up as puppets for one of the superpowers, today the US, tomorrow who knows? Russia, China, a job well done.
The elections are very clear, Trump is going to win. Even those who don't like him hate Biden more. And here, on the continent, there will be a rise of extremist and nationalist parties.
He has a point
Greetings from Ukraine! 💙💛 Thanks for your job!
Hitler annexed Austria and the Sudetenland. Then Czechoslovakia. Then Poland. Nobody stopped Hitler then! Consequence -> WW2
Therefore: Tyrants and Terrorists (Hitler/Putin/Hamas) should NOT be APPEASED, they must be STOPPED!
You can always help Freedom protect itself: Come Back Alive Foundation – Charity Organization, UNITED24, etc.
Join the Brave: International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine.
Yes.
Tier 3 schould be a goal that seems legit
Hey EU let turkey in then you will be more stronger 🇹🇷🇪🇺🇹🇷🇪🇺
Great video thank you! Go for tier 4! 🚀
I votw for a Full on European Army! 🇪🇺 Ain't no other alternative.
What´s the problem.. we all want security and then some in Europe.. just do It ffs.
Yes.
Every country doing this individually will never achieve the economies of scale that are necessary.
WTF: why Biden cuts Ukraine help than?
The European Union could suddenly become the new nuclear Superpower of the planet!
If anything the EU should move towards a common defence force.
An EU army would be almost impossible as the Germans are still not over their feeling of shame from the 2nd WW.
A common defence force should also be able to move around the EU members that are neutral by their constitution, such as Ireland or Austria.
Furthermore, an EU defence force could allow countries such as Kosovo, Bosnia, Moldova,… to start to move into EU structures as the defence force could be open for candidate members. Which will strengthen the EU peacekeeping capabilities.
It’s a shame the UK left the EU but I am glad they did purely on the basic of this topic. I feel a European army is not a good idea and is something my nation would not agree with if it were still in the European Union of provocative states
Ultimately, we need Tier 4. However, this can't be done rapidly for a number of practical reasons.. Unlike most other major powers, Europe has a plethors of languages within it, which could be command and control problem. Then, as mentioned, there needs to be fewer distinct weapons systems, in order to male logistics easier. Within NATO, , which most Wuropean nations are in, there is at least commonality in weapons calibres used, and thus a good deal of ammunition interchangeability.
But with vehicles, be they tanks, IFVs or aircraft, a reduction in the number of types is necessaru. How to go avout achiebing this needs to be looked at carefukky , as international projects to come up with common fighter designs or tabk designs have not done terriblt well. And its also importnat to ensure comat capability is not decreased by , say, concentrating production on a single type of fighter that can do a bit of everything, but may not be very good at some roles. For instance, planes like the Gripen may not be bleeding edge, but they can far more easily be dispersed and kept in the fight better than planes that need very good runways to operate from..
I do think that having a core pan-European defence force in addition to national armed forces could be a very goo way to make the transition to Tier 4. It'd be like implementing Tier 4 on a small scale to work out what works best in terms of organisation, equipment, command and control and logistics first rather than just munging all of the disparate national forces together and hoping for the best.
Ultimately, I'd like to see a unified European Defence Force as the primary defender of Europe; the EDF could still be a part of NATO, but it'd be a unified force rather than umpteen nations bickering over what to use, and when and where to use it.. Perhaps nations could have their own National Defence Force mainly made up of part-timers, similar to the Territorial Army in the UK. Have memners of the EDF on rotation to acr as cadre and instructors for the NDFs, so that in the event of a major conventional war, there'd be a large pool of already trained troops that could supplement the main EDF forces.
As an aside, whilst I wouldnt blame the rest of Europe one bit for being highly cautious about it if the UK at some point applies to rejoin the EU, I very much hope that we do. I'm aEuropean just as much as I'm British, and I'd rather our voice be heard in Europe than see us become dependent on, or, worse, a puppet of, the US. We;ve far more in common, in terms of shared history and culture with our other European cousins than we do with the vastly different culture of the USA. If I had to, I'd happily go live elsewhere in the EU, but I would never wish to live in the USA. They may be the worlds main military power, but theyre far behind Europe in most other ways, IMHO.
United we are stronger. Tier 4 from me with Qual majority.
Tier 4 asap
I think tier 2 is the best. A full EU army that replaces national armies may suffer from lack of manpower, because nationalists tend to be majority in armies, but likely wouldn't participate in an EU army. Tier 2 is more realistic
Industrial cooperation is often made harder because of different interests. We need to chose an interest BEFORE the cooperation. For exemple, we want C type of aircraft? Put Germany, Spain and Italy working on it. For X type of aircraft, put France, Sweden and UK
The countries I chose were random btw
In my opinion, an army is an organization tightly aligned with sovereignty. How would that ever work in a multi county union. Which country's sovereignty will it protect when it's necessary?
Unfortunately only tier 2 is possible and it should be more but military exports are also connected with sovereignty.
Tier 4, hell 5 even!
Tier4
Tier 0. Souverinity for all countries. They should indepently decide. Otherwise the big ones are deciding for the smaller ones. That makes that chances bigger that Europe ends up in a Irak war of lies.
(Germany and France are. right now certainly not the peaceful leaders of Europe)
the concept of giving up soverenty for the block to protect us from foreign powers is the scam of the century , we only give up power to corrupt technocracts non elected at the council , th EU is a concept that was made by capitalists with little to no regard for anything else than free market , we know something about it in france our electricity sector had to be dimenteled because it was too efficiant as a public service and we had to artificially introduce competition . Not to forget a LOT of european powers are militarely pupets of the USA already a deeper EU military integration means only more america not less and the chery on top , EU treaties forbid controling the delocalization of industries so much for countering china
No army for the EU, cost us money enough.
8:30 I was skeptical about that high number, as I remember EU's population as something around half a billion. But then I realized that you said "continent" and also on the map in the background you highlighted some more countries like Turkey (but not Russia, even though geographically Russia is considered more Europe, at least most of its population lives in geographic Europe).
But my confusion is why mentioning continent when the topic (and the channel) is about EU?
We need to aim towards tier 4, but to do it step by step. European innovation projects are a good first step imho, and to insure interoperability of the systems.
Anyway, M. Scholz surely slows us down here…
Trump wouldn't be able to pull the US out of NATO
Macron is a giga chad
I don't want European soldiers to fight in Congo, Libya, Afghanistan, Ukraine, or any other war outside the EU. These are not our wars and we should not be involved. I guess I'll have to vote for the communists in June. I'm not a communist, but they are the only pro peace party.
I’m from Ireland I support eu army but hope uk help and have some relationship with eu you the brits in for this Ireland isn’t strong enough so you need the uk