Correspondent in Brussels
“
Produce faster, produce better and produce together
,
in Europe
.”
This is how Commissioner Thierry Breton summarizes the European program for the defense industry (Edip) which was adopted on Tuesday by the Commission.
There is an urgent need to react.
Whether it is the supply of equipment (very costly because it is very fragmented), production capacities (very insufficient) and dangerously low stocks, the war in Ukraine has highlighted the fragilities of European defense .
They are the legacy of the
“Lazy Thirty”
, according to the formula of François Heisbourg, senior advisor at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, that is to say the years during which Europeans cashed in the dividends of peace .
Waking up is painful.
Overall, the EU armies are not at threat level.
“
If we had spent 2% of our GDP over the last fifteen years,”
underlines a European official,
“that’s 1000 billion…
This article is reserved for subscribers.
You have 87% left to discover.
Flash sale
€4.49/month for 12 months
I ENJOY IT
Already subscribed?
Log in