Report on European Defense Preparedness to 2030

In this vote, the MEPs focus on evaluating the defense readiness of the European Union until 2030. It is a report drawn up for the European Parliament and a subsequently adopted resolution by which the Parliament formulates its political position. It is not a legislative act in the sense of a regulation or a directive, but a strategic document by which the EP assesses the current state of EU defense and proposes a direction for the future. Thus, the document itself does not create new legal obligations for member states, but sets political expectations and priorities.

The report is based on the finding that the EU’s defense capabilities are still significantly fragmented, insufficiently coordinated and unsustainable in the long term without deeper cooperation. The Parliament points out that the member states do increase defense spending, but often in an uncoordinated manner, which leads to inefficient use of resources, duplication of systems and weaker interoperability of the armed forces. The document therefore emphasizes the need for joint planning, capacity sharing and better coordination of national defense policies at the EU level.

A key part of the report is support for the “European Defense Readiness 2030” concept, which is supposed to serve as a framework for strengthening the Union’s defense capabilities in the coming years. The Parliament calls for the development of joint procurement, the strengthening of the European defense industry, the increase of interoperability of technology and the better connection of civilian and military capacities. The document also points out that without long-term investment stability and the involvement of private capital, it will not be possible to achieve the declared goals of defense readiness.

The resolution of the European Parliament represents a political signal towards the European Commission and the Council of the EU. In it, the Parliament clearly formulates the expectation that the recommendations from the report will be translated into specific initiatives, programs or legislative proposals. At the same time, however, the mere adoption of the resolution does not mean an automatic change in national laws, budgets or defense doctrines of the member states. This is a typical example of political pressure and strategic framing of future EU policy.