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The European Union’s defense project - the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) - is in a pathetic state. The initial plan was to set-up a 60,000-strong force by 2003; it never materialized (in full).
Why this has been the case we learn from Nick Witney, a senior fellow at the ECFR and a former CEO of the EDA, in Divided We Stumble. Witney mentions five structural deficiencies that explain the current state of an all-European defense force. I highlight two: (a) the mismatched incentives structure and (b) the unwillingness to learn from past mistakes.
(a)
Third, this reluctance to match words with deeds has been exacerbated by perverse financial incentives. The same governments that take risks by contributing soldiers or assets are also those required to pick up the tab. The current “costs lie where they fall” principle is inequitable, and a further disincentive to individual member states to volunteer for operations. A common-funding mechanism (Athena) was agreed in 2004; but it has been applied to date to less than 10 percent of the extra costs of operations.
(b)
Finally, [security and defense] operations suffer from “corporate amnesia” — a collective reluctance to learn from the weaknesses of one operation and apply these lessons to the next. Some of the more spectacularly amateurish improvisations of the early days, such as financing the operation in Aceh on the personal credit cards of the advance party, have been addressed. But the collective preference for declaring each operation an unqualified success has meant that many persistent failings, such as shortage of transport and inadequate communications, have been repeatedly ignored.
It’s not all negative. After identifying the problems with the ESDP, Witney offers concrete recommendations on fulfilling the original plan for a common European defense.
In sum, it all comes down to having enough political will to push for the reform and implementation of the ESDP. With the Lisbon Treaty on hold and the continued crisis in the Caucasus, whatever political will there was is now being channelled on working out those issues rather than on common European defense.
