‘ReArm Europe’: A Paradigm Shift in European Defence and Societal Resilience

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen couldn’t have been blunter. In her letter to the special European Council she wrote: “A new era is upon us. Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us have seen in our adult lifetime”.

And in her press statement, she went even further: “We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times. I do not need to describe the grave nature of the threats that we face (. . .) The real question in front of us is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates. And whether Europe is ready and able to act with the speed and the ambition that is needed.”

Given the urgency, the proposed ReArm Europe package of the European Commission —a €800 billion plan to bolster Europe's defence capabilities — was endorsed by the special European Council.  

The ReArm Europe plan has five pillars:

1.    €150 billion EU financial instrument providing loans for defence investment;

2.    the release of public funds by activating national escape clauses;

3.    increased defence-related EU budget investments;

4.    the European Investment Bank’s role via its Security and Defence Action Plan;

5.    mobilizing private capital for defence industries.

As established by CESI´s last European Defence Round-Table (EDRT), these steps are long due. An urgent paradigm shift in European defence strategies is needed, which includes societal preparedness and the integration of both military and civilian defence mechanisms.​ The EDRT underscored thatEurope faces unprecedented challenges necessitating a holistic approach to security. Defence must extend beyond military capabilities to encompass societal resilience.

However, this shall not come to a ‘social price’. Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General, said: “As the EU signs a renewed Pact for Social Dialogue, the quality of jobsroadmap and the communication on the Union of Skills, the Industrial Action Plan for the European Automotive Sector, after presenting the Omnibus and the Clean Industrial Deal proposals, it is clear that aligning these objectives with deterrenceand defence will be challenging. It is important to achieve deterrence and competitiveness without compromising on social and labour standards. Everything is nothing without security. But defence spending should not come at the cost of economic security and social stability.”