Since 2016, the European Union has financially supported the joint development of defence innovation and capabilities. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, the Union sought to develop its defence industrial base for the production ammunition and equipment. This step comes with an emphasis on “joint-ness”: the idea that Europeans need to invest more in joint defence procurement and planning to overcome unnecessary costs and produce capabilities at scale. Such a step raises serious questions about national defence priorities and processes, but there is also a need to consider how joint defence procurement and planning in the EU could be developed. This Policy Brief assesses these ideas by analysing the link between funding and politics, as well as showing how any joint defence planning process in the Union may emerge organically. Despite the impetus provided by the war, member states in the European Union still hold to largely national approaches to defence industrial cooperation.
CSDS Policy Brief, No. 24, September 2023
Daniel Fiott 