Europe’s defense and security should be the number one issue for those countries that form “NATO’s European pillar” as well as those in the European Union.
There is overwhelming support for greater defense efforts within the EU, with citizens considering it one of their most important concerns. The EU now needs to bridge the gap between rhetoric and action.
By introducing a defense commissioner, Ursula von der Leyen’s second European Commission makes clear that Europe’s security is an urgent priority. Defense industrial policy will, by necessity, be a key focus.
Europe is in desperate need of leadership when it comes to security. Yet, so far there is little sign of any Franco-German meeting of minds on defense.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has unified European thinking about defense. But differences remain, says the Czech Defense Ministry’s Director-General for Defense Policy and Planning Jan Jireš.
Highly indebted European NATO countries should levy a “defense tax” to make their long-term commitment to higher defense spending politically credible and financially sustainable.
Politically, the Scholz government seems finished, even if it manages to drag on for another year. Germany, which derived much of its foreign policy stance from its seemingly unshakable “stability,” does not look so stable all of a sudden.
Emmanuel Macron is installing the first government dependent on the far-right in France’s post-war history. But paradoxically, the country may take a step toward ending the risk of a Le Pen power grab.
For the first time in over 20 years, two German navy ships passed the Taiwan Strait in September, amid Chinese protests. For Berlin, this is the right way to go.
Ukraine’s armed forces surprised many when they managed to counter-invade Russia in early August. In part, the Ukrainians acted out of a sense of urgency, something that is sorely lacking in Western debates.
The US Treasury is preparing a screening mechanism for investments in China. German policymakers and businesses should not avoid the debate about how Europe should react.
