European Common Security and Defence Policy: Cost of Non-Europe Report

The report 'Preparing for Complexity - The European Parliament in 2025', presented by the Secretary General of the European Parliament in January 2013, identified the core set of problematic issues in defence policy as a) duplication, b) lack of a common strategic view and c) lack of a clear vision for the future.

The purpose of this paper is to develop these considerations and to focus on the benefits of greater cooperation at European level. Setting out the economic argument of the added value of Europe in defence, and the current cost to the Member States of ‘non-Europe’, can highlight the need to build on the structures, systems and under-utilised legal bases that have been put in place in recent years. Cost of Non-Europe reports examine policy areas or sectors of strategic importance where the possibilities for greater efficiency or the realisation of a 'public good' through common action at EU level are potentially significant. The case for more Europe is perhaps more compelling in defence than in almost any other policy area, given that no single Member State can achieve an optimal level of security without cooperation. The costs involved go beyond the purely economic, and include political and opportunity costs.