Both NATO and the EU want to spend a €100 billion on defense — and that’s leading to clashes between the two Brussels-based institutions.

Both NATO and the EU want to spend a €100 billion on defense — and that’s leading to clashes between the two Brussels-based institutions.

The European Union is donning its camouflage pants and flexing its muscles on defense. NATO isn’t happy.

For years, the two Brussels-based institutions have barely communicated when it comes to defense, except for some military cooperation in areas like the Balkans — because they haven’t had to. Defense was NATO’s turf (it is a military alliance, after all), while the EU dealt with trade, farming, climate change and things like standards for heritage cheeses.

It was summed up by a catchphrase popular in military circles: “The U.S. fights, the U.N feeds, the EU funds.”

That’s now changing.

  • @[email protected]English
    11•7 months ago

    If the issue is setting standards, how hard would it be to just agree to set them together? Is NATO just being weird and possessive and not wanting to give the EU any input?

    Also an interesting bit:

    Turkey’s territorial dispute with Cyprus — a non-NATO member in the EU — is also making things more complicated between the two institutions. Turkish diplomats at NATO are unwilling to let alliance staff share too much information with the EU, as Cypriot officials would be able to access it. “You might think we’re having the war in Ukraine, and the two groups of ambassadors should be meeting as often as possible to discuss strategies,” a senior EU diplomat said. “That’s not the case, thanks to Turkey and Cyprus.”

    Conflict in everyone’s favourite Balkan island strikes again.