General Jean-Paul PERRUCHE, President of Euro-Defense, former Director-General of the European Union Military Staff, will lead a conference-debate on the topic of European defense by analyzing its “myths” and realities.
European defense is the way countries organize themselves to ensure their defense, in the territorial sense of the term, either within an organization (NATO, European Union) or through multilateral consultation. Today, European defense is ensured by NATO and subsidiarily by European defense.
European defense refers to the autonomous action capabilities of Europeans, which they develop within the European Union (EU) under the common security and defense policy (CSDP). However, the level of ambition of European defense has been limited by the Treaties of Nice and Lisbon to minor military operations due to the existence of NATO, whose credibility relies 75% on the United States, which ensures its leadership.
In reality, during the onset of a crisis, Europeans often appear hesitant and reluctant. The absence of strategic culture, as well as the undeniable complexity of national and European decision-making processes, make common positions and interventions difficult outside the NATO framework.
Moreover, Europe had the opportunity to identify and address its weaknesses during conflicts that involved some of its member states over the past three years (Libya, Mali, CAR).
For General Perruche, “at a time when the USA announces that the center of gravity of their security interests is now in the Asia-Pacific region, Europeans must prepare to once again take responsibility for their defense and shoulder their ‘share of the burden’.”
France and Germany, within the framework of the European Defense Council in December 2013, have also launched a joint initiative between the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs to try to give new visibility to the common security and defense policy.
But do the 28 member states of the European Union share this willingness? How can we ensure that this European defense cooperation can take place? What are the European strategic interests? With 28, what are our threats, where are our priorities, what political and operational assets must we mobilize to respond to them?
General Perruche will deliver his analysis on all these questions.
