Beyond the ‘guns or butter’ dilemma – The December European Council and the future of the European defence industry

On 19 and 20 December 2013, the European Council will discuss the state of Europe’s defence industry as part of its wider agenda on the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Following an earlier mandate of the Heads of state or government in December 2012, the European Commission, European Defence Agency (EDA) and European External Action Service (EEAS) have presented a number of policy proposals to strengthen the European defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB) through the Commission’s Communication, ‘A New Deal for European Defence’ and the High Representative/Vice President’s ‘Final Report on CSDP’. Such a high-level ‘appointment’ with the sector was long overdue.