The Illusion of European Sovereignty
The Deutsche Welle report details the EU's renewed push for self-reliance in the defense sector, citing a desire to decrease reliance on US and Chinese military hardware. This sentiment, however, is not novel; it represents a cyclical aspiration within EU foreign and security policy that has historically struggled against entrenched power dynamics and economic incentives. The Persistent Pursuit of
Autonomy: A Pattern Recognition Timeline FIRST INSTANCE: The Pre-Maastricht Era to ESDP (1987-1999) The concept of a distinct European defense identity emerged formally with the Single European Act (1987) and gained traction following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Initial discussions around a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and later, the European Security and Defense Policy
(ESDP) under the 1999 Cologne European Council Declaration, explicitly aimed to provide the EU with 'an autonomous capacity to take decisions and, where NATO as a whole is not engaged, to launch and conduct EU-led military operations.' REPETITION 1: Lisbon Treaty and PESCO (2007-2017) The Lisbon Treaty (2007), which entered into force in 2009, codified the CFSP and introduced a 'Permanent
Structured Cooperation' (PESCO) for member states willing to make more binding commitments on security and defense. Despite this, EU member states' defense spending remained fragmented, and procurement largely favored non-EU suppliers. For instance, in 2017, approximately 80% of EU member states' defense acquisitions were made outside the EU (European Defence Agency, 2017), primarily from the