“It must acquire tools of deterrence, change the veto on sanctions issues and proceed with the creation of a Euro army”, said, among other things, the president of the PASoK, Nikos Androulakis in his speech in the context of the conference “Transformation 1974-2024: 50 Years of Greek Foreign Policy” co-organized by Vima.
This was preceded by the placement of the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, in a meeting with the ambassadors of the European Union member states, in which he characterized the EU’s approach to Defense issues as “schizophrenic”.
“On the one hand we are called upon to create a credible defense capability and on the other hand, if we exceed the budgetary limits, which we have not modified at all by the way, we have a problem. And at the same time we pretend to be a geopolitical actor, even a geopolitical force. I don’t think this will take us very far”, Mr. Dendias.
A few days later, on December 19 in Brussels, following a proposal by the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitstotakis, during the European Council Session,
The need for European initiatives in Defense matters
So the debate about European defense has been ignited for good, with many supporting the need to take radical initiatives. , ushering in a new era of uncertainty in international relations, while armed conflicts, even on European soil, are raging and escalating, as in Ukraine, the debate on the need to create a European army has also been rekindled.
After all, the reluctance of the US president-elect to send troops to Ukraine, even if a truce is reached with Russia, has already led to discussions among European leaders, about sending a joint European military force that will be responsible for keeping the peace , after the end of the war.
But what do we mean when we talk about a Euro army and how could such an undertaking be structured? The Eurosart, if created, will constitute the Armed Forces of the European Union, with the member states participating in them both with animate and inanimate material, as well as with financial resources. Undoubtedly, the realization of such an undertaking would constitute a huge step in the direction of European unification, with its advocates emphasizing that its creation is an integral part of it and at the same time a big step towards its achievement.
The historical route
The debate on the creation of a single European army is not new. The beginning took place in the 1950s, when the Frenchman, then president of the National Assembly, René Plevin, proposed the creation of the European Defense Community (EDC), the constitution of which was signed on May 27, 1952, by six founding members (West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), but in practice the ambitious project did not materialize never.
The collapse of the plan, in particular, came when it failed to be ratified by the Parliament of France, the very country that inspired it. The EAK plan was put to a vote in the French National Assembly on August 30, 1954 with the final result being 264 votes in favor and 319 against.
The Cold War that followed, with the creation of the two world blocs, the USA and the Soviet Union, put any plan for a European defense structure on hold, as the majority of EU member states joined NATO . Indeed, after the fall of the Soviet Union, NATO was extended to some of the states that were members of the former communist bloc, now constituting the “protection umbrella” of the European continent.
The recent resurgence of the debate
So, after a long period in which the project seemed to have been completely abandoned, the word “European army” returned to the lips of European leaders and indeed in the most official way: , while the then chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, had agree in this direction.
It was preceded by the first electoral victory of Donald Trump and the shaking of European faith in the NATO alliance after the threats of the US president, at the July 2018 summit, for the withdrawal of the US from the alliance. Also, the recent withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, which has traditionally held an ambiguous position regarding European integration, created suitable conditions for the subject to return to the agenda of European meetings.
What is true today?
Now, we are in an even more intense geopolitical period, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underway since 2022, and in the Middle East the war has escalated and does not seem to be easing any time soon. How feasible is the creation of a Euro army under these conditions and what could it offer?
As Spyros Blavoukos, professor of the Athens University of Economics and Head of the Ariane Kontelli European Program of ELIAMEP, reports to Vima, “the Eurosart could be a very positive prospect both for the EU in general and for Greece in particular. This is why Greece traditionally takes the lead in various proposals that have been made from time to time for its creation. But in this discussion it seems that we are putting the cart before the ox and I say this because the creation of the Euro army would be a hole in the water without the political unification of the European Union having preceded it”.
Regarding today’s conditions, Mr. Blavoukos is also clear: “Right now the security crisis may be a window of opportunity, but I don’t see the broader political will that would be necessary for something like that.” Yes, the danger of Russia unites us, but there will have to be a huge and long-term investment of resources, otherwise what will be created will be something very superficial.”
“What I see most feasible under the current circumstances is to achieve closer cooperation between the member states, so that there is greater efficiency in the provision of security. But I cannot see the necessary unanimity, in such a huge order of magnitude, which is necessary, as the creation of a Euro army would be the biggest step ever taken towards the essential European unification” adds Mr. Blavoukos.
The future of European defense and treaty reform
But what is the future of European defense? Already in recent years, important initiatives have been taken to strengthen it, such as “This fund is a very interesting scheme, which can be used by various member states according to their needs, while it is also immediately implementable.
On the other hand, the creation of a single European army, even if such a decision were taken, its immediate implementation would not be realistic as huge organizational problems would arise. To be realistic, such a perspective would be more feasible in a horizon of maybe fifteen years”, adds the professor of the Athens University of Economics.
Finally, with regard to the reform of the European treaties, which has returned to the fore again, after the relevant report of the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Mr. Blavoukos does not consider it necessary, at least as far as the creation of a European army is concerned.
“Revising the conditions is not the problem. Especially with the political correlations that currently exist in Europe it would probably be better to avoid opening this debate now. After all, the Treaty of Lisbon has relevant provisions that facilitate such initiatives. Of course, if we read the Rubicon of defense integration, there should be a substantial upgrade of the conditions, with small changes, without major groundbreaking initiatives”, concludes Mr. Blavoukos.
