Abstract
Issues pertaining to the defence industrial sector represent a perennial tension in EU- NATO relations. The tension exists both between the two organisations and the con- stituent members of each body. In short, the possibilities for and limits to EU-NATO cooperation on defence-industrial matters are conditioned by considerations of indus- trial competitiveness and strategic autonomy. Whereas NATO has a well-established defence planning process and fora to stimulate allied industrial relations, the EU de- fence-industrial toolbox includes legislation (e.g. directives on defence equipment transfers and procurement), a political framework called Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), a Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and a European Defence Fund (EDF) that will support defence research and capability development. The introduction of EU initiatives such as the EDF and PESCO has given rise to concern in both the US and NATO that the Union is developing policy tools that may discriminate against non-EU members and duplicate military capabilities. Such claims are founded on subjective data as well as a failure to take account of how the EU has agreed to PESCO and the EDF, and wilfully gloss over the realities of market access in the US. Suspicion of these EU initiatives should be seen in a context where the current US administration has pressured European allies to spend more on defence. The US president has also delivered some alarming messages on the US’s commitment to collective defence under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.
Despite the current level of friction, however, the EU and NATO have pledged to work closely together on defence-industrial matters. For example, the July 2016 Joint Declaration speaks about the need to ‘facilitate a stronger defence industry and greater defence research and industrial cooperation within Europe and across the Atlantic’. The follow up declaration of July 2018 reiterated the need for EU-NATO coherence, complementarity and interoperability. However, while the 2018 declaration referred to successful instances of cooperation in maritime security, hybrid threats, capacity building and military mobility, defence-industrial cooperation was notable by its absence.
This chapter examines how far the EU and NATO have come in enhancing defence-industrial cooperation, but also outlines the challenges and indicates possible ways ahead. By additionally focusing on military mobility, this contribution also sheds light on the challenges of cooperation when various civil and military stakeholders are involved.
EUISS Book, 2019
Daniel Fiott 