World News
EU defence readiness target for 2030 remains in doubt, auditors report
A European Court of Auditors review cites heavy reliance on US equipment, industrial bottlenecks, and fragmented procurement despite rising defence budgets.
The short version
- The European Court of Auditors warned that the European Union faces major obstacles in achieving full military defence readiness by 2030.
- Despite a 79% jump in member states' defence spending from 2020 to 2025, procurement remains heavily reliant on non-EU suppliers, primarily the United States.
- EU governments must now decide whether to grant exemptions to 'Buy European' rules as urgent military requests, including from Ukraine, test domestic production capacity.
Key facts
- A report by the European Court of Auditors concluded that the EU's objective to establish defence preparedness by 2030 remains challenging due to fragmented systems, industrial bottlenecks, and reliance on the US.[The Guardian]
- EU member states raised collective defence spending by 79% between 2020 and 2025.[The Guardian]
- Between February 2022 and June 2023, 78% of EU government defence purchases were made from outside the bloc, with 63% originating in the US.[The Guardian]
- Ukraine requested a derogation from 'Buy European' rules to allow funding from an EU support loan to purchase American-made Patriot interceptors.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- Auditors noted early signs of reduced reliance on foreign defence suppliers but indicated they lacked complete data to confirm a definitive trend.[The Guardian]
- It remains subject to approval by EU member states whether Ukraine will receive an official exemption to purchase US-made Patriot missiles using EU loan funds.[The Guardian]
Sources
- EU’s ability to defend against invasion remains in doubt, finds official reportThe Guardian - World