The EU’s progress on common defence is much slower than the pace of the threats

Brussels. Whether it is the attacks by Iran’s allies in the Red Sea or the hybrid war waged by Russia against Europe, defence ministers do not believe that the European Union is the right place to organise a common defence. If further proof were needed, it came today following a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in its defence session. The High Representative, Kaja Kallas, had to acknowledge that no progress had been made either on Italy’s request to strengthen the Aspides mission to escort ships threatened by the Houthis, or on the establishment of an emergency security protocol to enable the EU to respond to sabotage, drones or Russian cyber-attacks. Indecision also prevails regarding the Patriot interceptors to be supplied to Ukraine and the rearmament programme to prepare for a war by 2030. Progress on defence is far slower than the pace of the threats.

The request by the Italian Defence Minister, Guido Crosetto, to strengthen the Aspides operation had been submitted in a letter to Kallas on 18 September. Italy is ready to send a second frigate to protect ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following the Houthis’ seizure of control over this strategic chokepoint for maritime trade. However, Crosetto has asked the EU to share the costs and other Member States to provide more naval assets. The response received today from EU defence ministers was disappointing. “The Houthis’ advance has exposed maritime routes to greater risks, and Operation Aspides is helping to keep this vital waterway open. However, we need to increase our numbers to make it more effective,” acknowledged Kallas.

However, only two countries have responded to Italy’s request. Belgium is expected to provide a frigate in late October or early November. The Netherlands has announced the deployment of another frigate, but its operational tasks will depend on the situation in the Red Sea and, for the time being, it is expected to provide merely logistical support to Aspides. During the closed-door discussion, there was a tense exchange between Crosetto and his French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, regarding the role of the coalition of the willing, which is not yet operational. Spain has explicitly ruled out sending ships, as it is already engaged in the Atalanta mission off the Horn of Africa. There is a problem regarding both the quantity and quality of the naval assets deployed in Aspides. “If we give a mission a task, we must provide it with the necessary resources,” Kallas pointed out.

Regarding the hybrid war waged by Russia, defence ministers held an initial discussion on Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to establish an emergency security protocol to address sabotage, cyber-attacks and drones. The Commission President presented the mechanism as the equivalent of NATO’s Article 4. The Commissioner for Defence, Andrius Kubilius, sees it as a tool to respond to Russia. However, the majority of defence ministers are sceptical or opposed, as they believe this task falls to NATO. “Some have said that we need a mechanism for everything that falls below the threshold of armed aggression. But many have emphasised that it must be done in a way that complements NATO,” explained Kallas. The High Representative also had to admit to a lack of progress on the Patriot interceptors for Ukraine. Kallas had proposed to member states that possess them to proceed with an exchange: to supply missiles from their stockpiles immediately in order to obtain the Patriot systems that will be purchased from the United States using funds from the EU loan to Ukraine. “There have been no new commitments,” said Kallas. As for the rearmament plan, the European Defence Agency has published a report highlighting the delays accumulated by member states. “Europe must rearm more quickly and more effectively to meet the 2030 target,” warned Kallas: “A decisive shift is needed in terms of the scale and pace of defence investment.”