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EU leaders agree but disagree on defence

Analysis: Most EU members want to co-operate on defence, but they have different ideas about what that means

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen (left) talks to Polish prime minister Donald Tusk in advance of an informal EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Monday. Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen (left) talks to Polish prime minister Donald Tusk in advance of an informal EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Monday. Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
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Jack Power in Brussels
Mon Feb 03 2025 - 19:02

Sitting down together two weeks after Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president, European leaders had a better idea of what they will be dealing with for the next four years – at an informal meeting on defence in Brussels on Monday.

Things were uncertain the last time the 27 EU leaders met, just before Christmas. Everyone was still trying to guess just how many of the dramatic threats Trump made on the campaign trail would end up becoming actual US foreign policy. The picture became clearer over the weekend.

Now, on top of the military threat Russia poses, there is the fear of a transatlantic trade war. EU leaders discussed how to respond to those two shadows during an “informal retreat” at Egmont Palace in Brussels.

On his way into the meeting, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said an EU-US trade war would be “totally unnecessary” and should be avoided.

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On the broader question of how Europe can become a bigger defence power, leaders were not short of ideas.

A large majority of member states are pushing for the EU to play a bigger role in defence policy. Much of this debate has focused on what might be done to free up funds, both at a European and national level.

During the Covid-19 pandemic the EU agreed to borrow billions of euro, taking on significant collective debt for the first time, to fund a major recovery scheme. Now several capitals want to repeat the trick, to increase defence spending.

More frugal states such as Germany and the Netherlands are against common borrowing for defence.

Those close to Russia, such as Poland and the Baltic States, are pushing for everyone to spend more on defence. Countries that are already high spenders want EU budget rules to be relaxed, so that expenditure does not count towards their fiscal deficits.

[ Poland standing on the front line of Russia’s hybrid war with the EU ]

There is also a popular proposal on the table to lift restrictions on the European Investment Bank (EIB) lending money to military projects.

Practically everyone is receptive to the idea of working more closely together on defence, though what that means is open to interpretation. Some see it as groups of states buying equipment or hardware together in bulk to save money. Others want to jointly fund major projects, such as a European air defence shield.

Leaders were not expected to settle any of these politically contentious questions on Monday, but there is a growing feeling that they will have to sooner or later.