Episode 39: “the most momentous and dangerous of times”

00:00:01: We're living in the most momentous and dangerous of times.

00:00:05: These are the first words EU President Ursula von der Leyen says into the microphone at a press conference.

00:00:12: It's the fourth of March, twenty-twenty five And the topic is Europe security situation.

00:00:19: She emphasizes that the continent is under threat making it clear that swift action Is now required.

00:00:26: she already has some concrete ideas.

00:00:31: We are in an era of rearmament.

00:00:35: And Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending, both to respond to the short-term urgency to act and support Ukraine but also address long term need for our own European security.

00:00:55: In this speech, Xi'an fails the Rearm Europe Plan later renamed Readiness Twenty-Thirty.

00:01:02: The plan makes it easier for member states to increase their military spending – specifically It permits States to incur greater debt than before!

00:01:27: A great deal has changed in the geopolitical landscape since then.

00:01:33: In this episode, we examine the current state of Europe as a union of security and the cost of rearmament.

00:01:43: Hello!

00:01:44: And welcome to We Work Europe.

00:01:51: The podcast at the European Center for Workers'

00:02:06: Questions.

00:02:06: European

00:02:07: foreign-and-security policy is relatively speaking still in its infancy.

00:02:12: It was introduced with the Maastricht Treaty in nineteen ninety-three.

00:02:17: Back then, The European Union was a community of twelve member states whereas today there are twenty

00:02:24: seven.

00:02:26: This is Annegret Bendig.

00:02:29: She's political scientist who works at German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

00:02:36: According to her As the EU has grown, it is becoming increasingly challenging to implement a common security policy.

00:02:44: She attributes this partly to bureaucratic red tape.

00:02:51: From a treaty perspective The Common Foreign and Security Policy Is still based on the principle of unanimity.

00:02:57: as such any member state can block a common European position or action.

00:03:02: There are very few specific cases provided for in the treaty where qualified majority voting is possible.

00:03:09: Unanimity remains the norm, and many attempts and initiatives have been made to move away from it –and towards majority

00:03:16: decisions.".

00:03:17: However these've so far been unsuccessful!

00:03:23: A recent example of this system's weakness….

00:03:26: …is The Blocking Of Aid Measures For Ukraine by Slovakia And Hungary In March.

00:03:31: twenty-twenty six If the other members wish to act swiftly, they must find alternatives such as forming a coalition of the willing.

00:03:40: However in this way they cannot speak with the voice of the EU.

00:03:45: It's not the first time that individual states have undermined The Union's ability To reach a quorum.

00:03:51: In twenty-twenty three for example Poland blocked A decision on migration policy.

00:03:57: France blocked accession negotiations for Albania and North Macedonia.

00:04:03: Nevertheless, the political scientist argues that Europe's weakness can also be its strength.

00:04:12: The EU must invest considerable political capital and effort to reconcile the member states' differing positions which are all politically motivated.

00:04:21: afterall Once this lowest common denominator has been achieved, it will represent a significant political asset that can also be utilised within other international organisations such as the United Nations.

00:04:35: That is one possibility!

00:04:37: The other possibility is that –as largest and strongest single market- we can restrict business practices and market behaviour of these large platforms & hyperscalars because they must adhere to their single market standards and rules if they wish to operate within it.

00:04:54: If they fail to do so, they will face

00:04:57: sanctions.".

00:05:03: Using the collective economic power of the EU – The European NATO partners were able prevent US President Donald Trump from annexing Greenland.

00:05:14: Trump even abandoned the announced punitive trade tariffs against EU countries after The Bloc had threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs following the Greenland episode.

00:05:25: However, as Ursula von der Leyen made clear in her speech at the start of this episode – It

00:05:39: will provide one hundred fifty billion euros of loans to member states for defence investment.

00:05:47: This is about basically spending better and spending together, And we're talking about pan-European capabilities domains like air and missile defense the artillery systems missiles and ammunition drones and anti drone systems but also address other needs from cyber to military mobility, for example.

00:06:10: Last year the EU invested around two hundred and forty billion euros on defence.

00:06:16: by comparison Russia alone spent a hundred-and-forty billion euros in its military.

00:06:22: Annegret Bendig believes that a Europe wide rearmament is necessary

00:06:29: because

00:06:30: there are strategic challenges specifically Russia right on our doorstep And as it's evident It is prepared to wage a war of aggression in violation of international law on Europe's borders.

00:06:44: In this respect, the stability and security of Europe stand or fall with the existence and survival of the state of

00:06:52: Ukraine.".

00:06:58: I think every country needs some level weapons to defend themselves a position that no one would argue against.

00:07:10: I think often the question becomes, well how much is enough?

00:07:26: It's this idea somehow an amount of money invested into defence will lead to security.

00:07:35: The world that we live in is, you know the-the world of the major military powers.

00:07:40: Uh...The Trumps, the Putin's, the Xi's where.. In terms of how big a military they have They can do whatever they want.

00:07:47: So on one hand Of course high military spending has gotten them to this point But On other hand This leads into more insecure world.

00:07:55: Although Nantian Is A Peace Researcher He acknowledges That States require a Military Presence.

00:08:02: He also acknowledges that the military contributes to a certain degree of security, not just

00:08:18: in times

00:08:31: So it's reasonable.

00:08:33: However, he fears that investment in military security will lead to cuts elsewhere.

00:08:39: In an academic paper published in November twenty-twenty five He and his colleague Shan Lang set out how funds could be saved and reallocated.

00:08:50: It is not about the trade off of defense versus sustainable development, but can we do both?

00:08:56: And we put forward a few recommendations that show that given the military spending will increase what should be considered.

00:09:02: If you improve transparency oversight it leads to efficiency gains which means there's likelihood money could be saved in hundreds of billions dollars spent on defence and some savings can then be repurposed for development spending.

00:09:19: This has declined significantly in recent years.

00:09:23: A glance at the roadmap for sustainable development goals like decent work, no poverty quality education etc.

00:09:31: reveals the following.

00:09:33: Thirty-five percent of the goals are on track around fifty percent a progressing.

00:09:39: two slowly eighteen percent actually regressing.

00:09:43: The Sustainable Development Goals set for twenty thirty and ratified by the United Nations will therefore not be met.

00:09:52: This also affects

00:09:53: security.".

00:09:54: The point again is that security isn't just narrow-and-defense because then it's only thinking about territorial, right?

00:10:01: Territorial security if you look up purely defense wise but rather who are you really securing?

00:10:06: You're securing people!

00:10:08: And what do people need?

00:10:09: People need to know this idea.

00:10:11: they're safe from an invasion either from outside or, let's say, rebel groups and certainties within the country.

00:10:18: But they need food, education, healthcare, housing... They need jobs!

00:10:26: And of course not just for current generation but future generations to come.

00:10:32: There needs some sort of preparation for this existential long-term security which is climate change.

00:10:39: But isn't defence spending intended not only for our security, but also for our economy and workers?

00:10:48: In sectors such as the automotive industry where jobs are being lost does the defence industry offer new employment opportunities.

00:10:57: More on this in next episode of We Work Europe.

00:11:04: If you like we work europe do give us a five star rating And don´t forget to subscribe.

00:11:10: Also If you have any interesting topics or feedback for us, just contact ESA at easa.org.

00:11:18: WeWorkEurope is the podcast from ESA – The European Centre For Workers' Questions which receives financial support from the European Union.

00:11:27: This podcast was narrated by me Rebecca Sharp Script and production by Escucha Audio Identity.