The EU pushes the largest defense research program to "self-preserve" or move towards military expansion

The EU pushes the largest defense research program to "self-preserve" or move towards military expansion
.
On November 30, the European Council announced a joint defense plan involving major investments
in cybersecurity, warships and drone technology.

The Financial Times revealed that this is the first step
after the call within the EU to "form an EU army independent of NATO".

Reuters said that this plan is the largest defense research program
in the history of the European Union.
It would reverse years of declining European defense budgets and send a signal to President-elect Donald Trump that Europe can protect itself
.

According to Reuters, the new joint defense plan mainly involves a defense investment fund that will ensure that joint defense-related projects such as helicopters and drones continue to be funded
.
The fund will be launched
on a smaller scale starting next year.
If EU governments agree to lift the ban on military projects, the fund will be immediately backed
by the European Investment Bank.

Since 2006, EU governments have reduced their budgets for military research by one-third, resulting in the EU's heavy dependence on the United States
for advanced military weaponry.
At present, the European Commission has a total budget of 150 billion euros a year, and both France and Germany believe that it is time
to spend the budget on military research.
Previously, the European Commission approved a military research and development investment of 25 million euros per year, but the European Commission has approved that the research and development investment will be increased to 90 million euros
next year.
The EU is also likely to increase military R&D investment to 3.
5 billion euros in 2021~2027.

The Financial Times reported that European Commission Vice President Katainen said: "In this plan, all investment results will belong to EU countries, not to a single country
.
" In the past, while many traditional countries opposed similar plans, their attitudes have changed
.
In addition, Katainen said that investing in defense plans does not mean that the EU will ignore issues such as social security in EU countries, "We are facing all kinds of military threats, and we must act
.
" ”

It is planned to promote the development of the European military industry

"It's
time to lift the ban on investment in military projects," the EU Council said.
"The upcoming "2017~2019 Pilot Program" will be the first project
of this program.

As early as 2003, the European Council proposed a similar joint defense plan, but the plan was opposed
by the British government.
The British government believes that if the EU promotes deep defense integration, it will undermine NATO's organizational structure
.
But after Trump was elected president of the United States, the formation of a European army was back on the agenda
.
For now, France, Germany and Italy hope that Britain will not block this new plan, after all, Britain has decided to leave the European Union
.

Katainen said that the cost of lack of cooperation between member states in security and defense is as high as 25 billion to 100 billion euros per year, mainly due to the persistent lack of coordination and cooperation between member states, resulting in a lot of
waste of resources.
"Joint research and development saves money and guarantees military security
in Europe.
"

However, it remains to be seen whether the EU's defense plans conflict with current national military plans and how they will be
coordinated.
"Only the promotion of new defense programs can guarantee the survival
of the military industries of European countries.
" Michael Geller, the legal commissioner of the EU Parliament, said: "There has been a lack of cooperation projects
across the EU.
”

However, many EU officials have also suggested that if the EU implements a new defense plan, Germany, with a complete defense industry, will become the biggest beneficiary, and many small countries' military enterprises will face "integration", resulting in unemployment
.

According to US media reports, the EU is trying to create a Pentagon-like Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency agency
.
However, in terms of the size of the funds, it is still not enough
.
Currently, the United States invests $77 billion
annually in military research and development.

Europe faces multiple clear threats

The US press believes that this plan shows that the EU is further seeking a position
of strategic autonomy.
And according to the plan, the results of the research and development do not belong to any single member state, indicating that the EU is seeking to create an independent European army
.

In an interview with Radio France Internationale, Rende Frans, director of the French Institute for International Strategic Relations, said that for the needs of European defense construction, Europe first needs a common defense budget
.
The European defense budget is characterized by the fact that it cannot be just a collection of numbers, otherwise it will lead to duplication of investment and confusion
.

U.
S.
President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly questioned U.
S.
military strategy in Europe during his campaign, accusing European allies under U.
S.
military protection of low defense spending, a statement that was very specific to NATO members
in Europe.
Most of these countries' defense spending is less than 2%
of GDP.
Against the backdrop of rising tensions between EU countries and Russia, this has also raised concerns that
the United States will no longer support NATO.

It is unclear
what responsibilities the United Kingdom, which has decided to leave the EU, will assume in the plan.
But a British diplomat said Britain would seek to join the scheme
as a third party.
"Whether the UK leaves the EU or not, it is inseparable from
Europe's defense and military security.
Plus, we never want to see the European market close to
us.
”