Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy And the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is among the last votes to support the idea of a European army to ensure credible and lasting peace on the continent.
“It is time to create a European army, the EU armed forces with troops from the 27 member countries, working under a single flag with the same objectives,” said Sánchez. “It is the only way to become a real union.”
On paper, the concept is attractive. This could stimulate the interoperability of military systems, weapons and forces, and would also imply a joint command Structure to improve coordination between all participating troops.
Europe – including the United Kingdom – currently has 1.47 million military members in active service. At the end of 2024, the Russian presence in Ukraine reached 700,000 soldiers.
The Large Armed Forces Are in France, With 202,200 Troops, Followed by Germany (179,850), Poland (164,100), Italy (161,850), The United Kingdom (141,100), Greece (132,000), and Spain (122,200), According to the Military balance 2025compiled by the Iiss.
In the short term, the challenge of Europe is not to replace the US military one for one, Max Bergmann, director of the US Center for Strategic and International Studies, in a recent analysis. “But in the long term, Europe should seriously constitute a common European force which can fight and act as one to defend Europe-which can replace the United States,” he wrote.
However, despite calls for various capitals in recent years, EU officials in Brussels remain reluctant to rekindle the conversation.
Having a renewed debate on the creation of a European army would only create confusion, said an official in Euronews.
“Defense is and will remain a national prerogative,” added an EU spokesperson, adding that “the point is not to have an” EU army “, but rather to have 27 capable and interoperable armies which can work better and together.”
Current discussions and plans focus on the integration of Ukraine into the EU defense market and to stimulate military capacities and preparation in the event of potential Russian aggression – which, according to several European intelligence agencies, could occur within five years.
Earlier this year, the best diplomat in the EU, Kaja Kallas, noted that fragmentation in Europe inflates costs, hinders interoperability and causes logistical problems. The continent currently has 172 different types of main weapons, planes, vehicles and combat ships, against only 32 in the United States.
“We need integration into defense and interoperability on the ground. We do not need a European army,” said former Estonian Prime Minister.
Currently, 23 countries out of 27 are the aegis of the security of the Transatlantic Military Alliance. However, while the United States moves its strategic objective for Indo-Pacific, it urges its allies to assume a larger share of the burden in the defense of the European continent.
NATO should call on its 32 allies to increase their military capacity targets by 30% at its annual summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, in June.
The alliance is also likely to ask the members to increase defense spending to at least 3% of GDP, compared to the current 2%, that certain European countries, notably Belgium, Italy and Spain, still do not meet.
ADVERTISEMENTEU heavy goods vehicles such as Kallas and Andrius Kubilius, the Bloc Defense Commissioner, have repeatedly stressed that the EU does not seek to compete with NATO but rather to support its European members to achieve shared objectives.
“We need 27 European armies that are capable and can effectively work together to dissuade our rivals and defend Europe – rather with our allies and our partners, but alone if necessary,” Kallas said in late January.
According to preliminary estimates of the economic thinking group based in Brussels, Bruegel, so that Europe can serve as credible deterrence without American support, a European army would require at least 1,400 tanks, 2,000 infantry combat vehicles and 700 artillery pieces. He would also need a million 155 mm shells for the first three months of high intensity combat.
In terms of staff, Europe would need 300,000 additional soldiers. Drone production should evolve up to 2,000 long -term blur ammunition each year to match the Russian levels. And defense expenses should also increase by around 250 billion euros per year, or 3.5% of GDP – in the short term.
ADVERTISEMENT“We should try to create a military parity between Europe and Russia, which would maintain this deterrence without even necessarily having to use nuclear deterrence,” said Dr. Alexandr Buralkov, co-author of Bruegel's analysis in Euronews.
