The European Union has abandoned plans to establish an expert group aimed at strengthening the bloc’s defence policy, after opposition from several member states, particularly Germany and Italy.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had been due to launch the group on Monday, but the initiative was cancelled at short notice following objections from national governments.
“Some member states felt this was not the right way forward at this point,” an EU official told reporters in Brussels. Following discussions with ministers, the decision was taken not to proceed with the initiative.
According to information from German news agency dpa, the governments of Germany and Italy were among those that had opposed the proposed expert group. EU sources subsequently confirmed the reports.
The group was intended to work under Kallas’s leadership and develop proposals for closing gaps in Europe’s conventional military capabilities more quickly and effectively. It was also expected to produce a report containing concrete recommendations.
The proposed members included senior political and military figures from several EU countries, as well as representatives from the UK and Ukraine. Their identities had been due to be announced on Monday morning.
Germany takes a cautious approach
Berlin has not officially explained its opposition to the initiative. One possible factor is the German government’s increasingly critical stance towards Kallas and its preference for handling defence planning primarily through NATO structures.
Germany has also been pushing for significant parts of the European External Action Service, which is headed by Kallas, to be integrated into the European Commission.
The decision to abandon the expert group does not appear to signal that the EU’s diplomatic service is stepping back from efforts to strengthen European defence.
An EU official said work on the issue would continue and that new forms of cooperation with member states would now be explored.
“The diagnosis has not changed: Europe needs to move faster on defence,” the official said.
The official also warned against focusing so heavily on long-term targets that immediate priorities are overlooked, arguing that Europe must ensure it is taking the steps needed now rather than concentrating exclusively on where it wants to be by 2035.
The comments underline the growing debate within the EU over how quickly Europe should develop its own military capabilities, and how those efforts should be coordinated with NATO.
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