European Defence: Plenty of Money, Little Strategy

The European Union has decided to speak the language of war. After years of moralising rhetoric and an agenda dominated by climate, gender, and “resilience,” Brussels announced this year setting aside up to €800 billion to rearm the continent, alongside a Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 that promises to prepare Europe for a high-intensity conflict. However, EU’s financial ambition does not align with industrial reality, political cohesion, or the social willingness required to sustain a credible defence policy.

The war in Ukraine has shown that real security rests on the mobilisation of society, not merely on equipment. Teachers, artists, and workers have become fighters and technology developers because they believe there is something of their own worth defending. The EU, by contrast, has spent decades eroding any notion of belonging, ridiculing national sovereignty, and treating its citizens as “consumers” or “inhabitants.” Now, belatedly, it seeks to appeal to a spirit of sacrifice that it has itself delegitimised. Dying for one’s country is one thing; dying for Brussels is quite another.

The EU wants to behave like a serious geopolitical actor without having resolved its most basic problem: its relationship with its own citizens. Increasing spending, creating new agencies, or launching ten-year plans does not replace democratic legitimacy or collective will. As the author already warned in The Hollow Flag, without the people, there is no security—only empty symbols. The question is whether EU’s announced rearmament plans can translate into real defence capability without political cohesion or social backing.