Europe's defence dilemma: Rising threats amid scarce funds
According to the interview, a Russian attack on a NATO country before 2030 is a very real threat. Meanwhile, European countries are mired in chaos, their finances are in poor condition, and there are no funds for armaments. On the other hand, Putin's Russia is heavily rearming. It spends 40 per cent of its budget on defence, warns "The Economist."
Western intelligence services assess that a Russian attack on a NATO country before 2030 is a very real threat. One might assume that such a possibility would mobilise Europeans to allocate their available resources for military expenses, but it seems that the inhabitants of the continent "are not inclined to take on the burdens for something as insignificant as repelling a potential invader," writes the British weekly.
Despite politicians' declared willingness to increase armament spending, few governments intend to risk alienating voters if it means cutting social spending. Europe has a habit of skimping on defence. In 2014, EU countries spent less than 1.4 percent of their collective GDP on this purpose—less than on alcohol and cigarettes.
This year, several European countries, like Italy and Spain, are still not allocating the 2 per cent of their GDP required by NATO for defence. Meanwhile, Russia spends 40% of its budget on defence and military equipment. After considering the cost of salaries, Moscow spends more on its armed forces than the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Poland combined, emphasises The Economist.
The Weekly reminds us that Donald Trump, who is preparing to return to the White House, reiterated on 8 December that he would keep the USA in NATO only if Europeans start "paying their bills" for security and defence.
The problem is that European countries' finances are in poor condition, and politics on the continent has become more complicated than ever before. France is mired in chaos, and the election campaign is gaining momentum in Germany. This will likely lead to appointing a new chancellor only after months of coalition formation negotiations.
And joint actions at the EU level, utilising economies of scale in arms purchases, will be thwarted by politicians like Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who respects the Kremlin more than European leaders. Moreover, countries governed by the far right are not inclined to contribute to a common EU defence budget, explains "The Economist."
New plan to increase defence spending
A solution could be a "coalition of the willing," in which a group of European countries interested in increasing security spending would raise €500 billion (£430 billion). These countries' combined debt would not burden their national balances, and Orban could not block such an initiative.
On 5th December, the "Financial Times" reported that such a plan is under consideration, but its details are unknown. However, the mere fact that politicians did not dismiss it after the publication of the article in the British newspaper is a good sign. Raising such a fund would signal to Trump that Europe has made some efforts for its security, emphasises the weekly.
