Accelerating Europe's Defence Union: A Call for Urgency

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasizes the urgency of forming a European defence union due to inefficiencies in the national-focused defence industry. She highlights the need for rapid integration to enhance effectiveness and reduce fragmentation with incompatible weapon systems. The focus is on strategic coherence by 2025.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock declared on Thursday that forming a European defence union is now an urgent matter of pace rather than possibility.

Speaking at the Europe 2025 conference on European sovereignty, Baerbock highlighted that the current national-centric approach of the European defence industry is inefficient.

To improve effectiveness, she advocated for the consolidation of 150 weapon systems that currently lack compatibility, warning that disjointed systems squander resources and reduce operational capability.

(With inputs from agencies.)