European Commissioner Kubilius calls on EU to strengthen Europe’s defense — Anadolu Agency

European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said at a Friends of Europe think tank conference in Brussels, Belgium, that the European Union must prepare to take greater responsibility for its own defense. This was reported by Anadolu Agency.

NATO remains necessary

According to Kubilius, the EU needs NATO to counter threats on Europe’s eastern border. He identified the Russian Federation — an aggressor state — and Belarus as such threats. At the same time, the European commissioner urged against assuming that the United States would maintain its current level of military presence in Europe indefinitely.

Kubilius linked a possible reorientation of U.S. resources to China’s growing influence and developments in the Indo-Pacific region. In his view, the United States expects European states to develop their own capabilities and assume primary responsibility for security on the continent.

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Proposals for defense integration

The European commissioner also stated the need to strengthen the EU’s defense capabilities both materially and institutionally. In his view, the current doctrines, institutions and decision-making mechanisms in foreign policy and defense no longer correspond to the present situation.

Kubilius proposed strengthening collective decision-making mechanisms in parallel with increasing military capabilities. In his vision, a future European Defence Union could bring together countries from across the continent, including Ukraine and Canada. He also raised the issue of a smaller format for decision-making, potentially based on the E5 Plus model, with rotating participation by smaller states.