“The European Union faces a set of unprecedented challenges. The nature of these threats is such that Member States cannot face them on their own”, stated Javier Solana, President of the ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics (ESADEgeo) and former EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). His comments came at the presentation of his study “On the way towards a European Defence Union: White Book as a first step”, during a meeting in Brussels at the European Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE), presided over by Anna Elżbieta Fotyga. The recent waves of terrorism and radicalisation, the economic recession, the imposition of austerity measures, the refugee and humanitarian crises, as well as the belligerent climate on the EU’s borders have put EU members in a tight spot. This situation has highlighted the need for Members States to review their common defence and security strategies. “Europeans must advance towards greater integration in defence and security matters to ensure that our responses are effective ones”, added Solana.

In 2003, as EU High Representative, Javier Solana published a document titled ‘European Security Strategy’. To date, it is the only strategic document of its kind that addresses defence at the EU level. The ESADEgeo study, commissioned by the European Parliament, anticipates and seeks to further the European Union’s Global Strategy. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy and Common Security, Federica Mogherini, will very shortly lay this strategy before the European Council. The document will set out the EU’s future lines of strategy within the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Here, the study’s main contribution is to draw up a process, framed in the Lisbon Treaty, for the EU to produce a White Book on European defence.

A White Book on European Defence

As the study highlights, the boundaries between internal security and external security are increasingly blurred in today’s inter-connected world. This is why something needs to be done to tackle the EU’s Member States' fragmented approach to security and defence, in which lack of co-operation leads to needless duplication of capabilities and inefficiency. At the same time, the defence proposals made by the various Member States fall far short of the objectives set and are much less ambitious than EU policies in other fields. “An EU White Book on Defence would improve co-ordination among Member States and achieve the defence aims formulated in a forthcoming Global Strategy on Foreign Policy and Common Security. It would identify priorities and the capabilities needed to reach the objectives”, stated Javier Solana.

Drafting process and recommendations

Javier Solana’s study suggests that the process of drafting the White Book should be begun by the Council of Europe and led by the High Representative, with the top-level involvement of Member States' national Defence Ministers. The EU’s Military Committee should lead the discussion on the military dimension.

With regard to capabilities, the document proposes that the European Defence Agency identify present shortcomings and draw up remedial programmes and measures. This would exploit the Agency’s experience of Capability Development Plans, and be carried out together with the Deputy Secretary-General of Europe’s External Action Service (EEAS) and the EU General Staff. One should note that throughout the process, it is vital to keep in close contact with both the European Parliament and NATO to co-ordinate strategies.

Other processes in the document for drawing up the White Book are the design of shared standards and training materials, funding of research projects and the development of dual-use technologies, the establishment of a common defence market, and the creation of measures for Permanent Structural Co-operation.

The present uncertainty in the EU heightens the need to consider common approaches within the ambit of the CFSP. “One should take advantage of the impetus given by the Global Strategy — which will be discussed shortly — to advance towards greater defence integration”, said Javier Solana. “It is a decisive moment for Europe”, he concluded.

The study “On the way towards a European Defence Union: White Book as a first step” was written by Javier Solana together with members of the ESADE Centre for Global Economy and Geopolitics (ESADEgeo): Angel Saz-Carranza, María García Casas and José F. Estébanez Gómez.