Marie-Louise von Bergmann-Winberg: EU på väg mot federal försvarsstruktur

We recently held a top-level meeting in Copenhagen which has been heavily affected by what is believed to be Russian drones and afterward experienced a very significant security crackdown What is this meeting about The EU is essentially a free trade organization not a military one What do the forms of this type of cooperation look like within the EU It is definitely not a defense agreement Ursula von der Leyen referred several times to the fact that it is finally NATO that should have this It's clear to see how the EU is developing in a federal direction and what is characteristic of a federal state Yes common defense policy foreign policy and currency policy And the EU is actually quite close to that definition today What can be done within the EU to establish a common drone defense What one can do is hardly more than let the individual countries that are part of NATO which are actually almost all One can therefore let them exceed a debt ceiling that is actually set at 60 percent of the gross national product GNP One can clearly see that a very large number of these big states are already there France has 113 percent Italy 135 of the big countries and Spain 102 Germany is not in the vicinity but there they have had their debt brake They are at 60.5 which indicates the desired situation within the EU The EU's average has undergone a decisive change now standing at 81 percent This also applies to any potential debts that the EU raises to strengthen defense One can also start producing cheap defenses for these drones It seems that even without being an expert in the field one can see that the drones being sent up are relatively inexpensive It's not cheap to have an arsenal against these drones It could be that one is simply trying to hit flies with elephants simply because this defense becomes very very expensive Ukraine is the country that is an expert not only in creating but also in manufacturing anti-drone arsenals So one must ensure that Ukraine gets all the opportunities to support these neighbors who are helping Ukraine with their defense By ensuring that they also get this arsenal needed to create a drone gun There are basically two things One is this drone wall The other is to try to ensure that the EU or NATO has such a defense by 2030 Russia is deterred from these drone attacks and from attacking another country What's a bit interesting in this context is that Moldova is now moving forward with an EU-friendly government The EU could very well become a member during this period just like Ukraine They will probably do everything possible to make it faster On the other hand we have the issue that all member states must approve a new member country Oh there they are just flying the flag because of Hungarian fever and to possibly get a stronger majority We are not there yet So there are very many interesting questions right now What can also be said is that these countries that have helped Ukraine now may need to look after their own house And make sure this drone defense is obtained Many of these large countries are themselves in debt The US currently has a 120 percent debt-to-GDP ratio up from 60 previously Oh the USA has just shut down its public administration So we can probably with Russian eyes look at a Western Europe and a USA in some crisis So it's a golden opportunity for them to simply continue with this drone uprising And make sure many of them have problems with this hybrid supply and regular drone trade You say that many EU members are also NATO members The EU has been criticized for having such a slow bureaucracy How is the EU prepared to make quick decisions in a deteriorating security situation The EU is not equipped in the same way as NATO and formally speaking the EU is not a federation of states It is simply a union of states not a federal state not a confederation If the EU were a federal state one would naturally ensure that it is equipped and that this is done through a federal initiative You do not have the authority to decide Naturally this can be raised within NATO and in consultation with NATO Each state must take care of its own modernization This is happening quite quickly right now as far as I can tell There are many states that have fallen behind Now NATO has this two-percent threshold Countries that are lagging must increase by two percent annually Two percent is quite enough not very far just like in Sweden Both manpower arsenal and heavy weapons buildup are required So it's not entirely simple Of course what can be done is to allow renting One can also allow just like in Germany for the use of a debt brake Germany is in a way a kind of model country here as it freely has thought about not only revitalizing Also try to ensure infrastructure regarding trains and roads and other means of transport To fight on all fronts It would also break the ongoing recession With an energy crisis and high unemployment Many other countries are in the exact same situation Many NATO countries are set to significantly increase their defense budgets Sweden reaches 3.5 percent of GDP for military defense and 1.5 percent of GDP for civil defense This is what they aim to achieve by 2030 Spain is the only one that doesn't really want to be part of this The EU already has a military headquarters There is something called an EU regulation How does it work and what can they do right now They have very little actual freedom of action What the member states can do is obviously to put forward an initiative in the council of ministers and the commission and make sure there is a general consensus around it They are not easily fooled because there is a big difference in preparedness among the different countries There's certainly a given problem with certain states well Finland is a bit special For example the country currently has a high national debt but has a staff and there is a defense system when it comes to both civil defense and military defense It is simply at the top level in Europe and perhaps in the world due to its proximity to Russia Other countries as mentioned have a longer way to go by letting defense readiness decline They have bet on other areas welfare communications healthcare you name it So this meeting in Copenhagen was a preparatory meeting for an upcoming meeting at the end of the month What can one assume this will lead to One can assume in any case that it will lead to an attempt to start up a so-called drone wall A defense of hybrid warfare It's not certain that one will succeed but with united forces The issue is urgent within NATO not within the EU as such This concerns neither the entire EU nor the entire NATO Only countries that are closely connected to Russia are actually affected These are the ones exposed to this attack They were Poland and Romania that received the Russian fighter jets even though they denied it So we have a limited part of these countries that must come together to create a common defense for the time to come So I would doubt that the entire EU not just Spain but many other countries It is more urgent than ever to support Ukraine at this point o contribute to the Baltic Sea countries Poland Romania and the countries bordering Russia He can handle his role of confronting Olle at the gate with hybrid warfare and drones Which can actually disable an entire society We have indeed seen this with the closed Danish airports and authorities in Sweden and other countries where hybrid warfare has taken effect Some authorities and companies private individuals