A New System of European Security. Part 1

Vladimir

A New System of European Security. Principles of Construction and Components

One of our previous articles entitled “The North Atlantic Alliance. Distorted Views of the Alliance and the Real Essence of NATO”, we examined the activities of the Organization’s leadership to strengthen the Euro-Atlantic security system;

an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture is the European security system, which is provided by the European component of NATO and the EU. Currently, the leadership of the Alliance and the EU are taking steps to bring it in line with the increased threats from Russia;

This work is quite complex and is not realized by the vast majority of European society. As a result, there is an impression that the EU leadership is not paying enough attention to defense issues, which makes Europe vulnerable to Russia;

This is beneficial to Russia and undermines Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Therefore, it is advisable to consider the principles of building a new European security system and its main components.

PART I

General Principles of Building a New Euro-Atlantic and European Security System

The need for changes to the Euro-Atlantic and European security architecture and new principles of its construction were recently discussed in our post “The North Atlantic Alliance. Distorted Views of the Alliance and the Real Essence of NATO”, as well as in other publications. However, it is worth raising this issue once again, focusing on European aspects.

As you know, at the beginning of this year, a decision was made to redistribute functions within NATO. Thus, at the global level, the United States should focus on deterring China, as well as on developments in the Asia-Pacific region. As for Europe, it should focus on countering Russia. The United States should provide proper support to Europe. All this was subsequently approved at the NATO summit and during the European Council meeting in June. At this, Europe should strengthen its responsibility for its own security, which will allow the United States to free up funds to adequately respond to threats from China. At the same time, this approach does not mean that Europe will act separately from NATO, including the creation of its own European army, which would cause significant difficulties in the work of security structures. It is only intended to strengthen Europe’s military potential and to specify the scope of activities of both the Alliance and the EU. The European component of the Alliance will be mainly responsible for the military defense of Europe, while the European Union will be responsible for solving financial and economic issues related to its security, including rearmament and assistance to Ukraine. To this end, new governing bodies with such functions are being created within the EU. However, they will not duplicate NATO’s governing structures, but will complement them. In such a system, Ukraine will play, and is already playing, the role of one of the main forces in deterring Russia and is NATO’s front line in the eastern part of its southern flank. This is already taken into account in the operational plans of the Alliance’s Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Poland and Romania, as evidenced by the nature of their military exercises. As part of the practical implementation of such plans, NATO and EU experts have defined the principles of building a new European security system, which is considered an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic security space. Action plans are currently being developed to turn these principles into practice. This takes into account current events regarding threats to the United States and Europe.

Administrative Component

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy remains responsible for defining and implementing the EU’s security strategy. Since 2024, it has been the former Prime Minister of Estonia K. Kallas.

In September 2024, the European Commission introduced a new position – the European Commissioner for Defense. He is responsible for EU-NATO cooperation, coordination of the defense industry, research and development, and military mobility. In his activities, the European Commissioner for Defense also takes into account the military-political aspects of European security. At present, such duties are performed by former Prime Minister of Lithuania A. Kubilius, who has a pro-Ukrainian position.

Financial and Economic Component

In March of this year, the European Commission (EC) presented the “White Paper on European Defense – Readiness 2030”. This document outlines the areas of activity of Europe as the European component of NATO and the EU to strengthen its security and defense. They mainly relate to military-technical, economic and political aspects and do not actually address purely military issues. According to the “White Paper”, the main directions are:

  • support for the European defense industry through aggregate demand and increased investment;
  • assistance in strengthening Ukraine’s military potential in the form of increased military and technical assistance and deeper integration of the European and Ukrainian defense industries;
  • deepening ties between European countries within the framework of the European defense market;
  • accelerating the process of defense transformation through the introduction of revolutionary innovations;
  • increasing Europe’s preparedness for worst-case scenarios by improving military mobility, stockpiling, and strengthening border security with Russia and Belarus;
  • strengthening partnerships with like mind countries around the world.

The “White Paper” includes a plan called “European Rearmament/Readiness 2030” which provides for the allocation of EUR 800 billion to finance actions in the above areas.

The funds are to be acquired through:

  • Increased defense spending by European NATO members. At the NATO Summit in The Hague in June, the member states pledged to increase their military spending to 5 % of GDP. In order to fulfill this commitment, the European Commission has authorized the exceeding of the public debt levels set by the Stability and Growth Pact within the EU fiscal rules. This is to be compensated by increasing taxes;
  • attracting private and other investments to create a EUR 150 billion ($168 billion) Security Action for Europe (SAFE) fund. The fund will provide long-term loans to EU members and other countries, first of all Ukraine, to strengthen their defense and develop the European military industry. Loans from the fund can be transferred to weapons systems in the form of joint procurement to rearm Europe. The fund’s financial mechanisms will become a strategic platform for a radical upgrade of Europe’s defense capabilities in the face of growing threats from Russia and unstable relations with the United States. The decision to establish the fund was made by the EU Council at the highest level in June this year;
  • expanding financing of defense and security projects through the resources of the European Investment Bank and attracting private capital through the Savings and Investment Union (SIU). The Union was established by the European Commission in March 2025 to ensure that private savings are effectively attracted to financial markets and centrally channeled to critical sectors of the economy, including the defense industry.

Oleh Bereziuk, Heorhii Zahorskyi, Yurii Mykhailenko
Institute for Global Politics

(Image generated by neural network)

Схожі публікації