Too Much Spending, Too Little Defense
By Carlo Altomonte
EU defense spending exceeds €300 billion a year, yet fragmentation limits its strategic impact. National programs, duplicated systems, and weak integration reduce efficiency, innovation, and autonomy. To become a credible security actor, Europe must move from scattered spending to common platforms, joint procurement, shared standards, and integrated industrial capabilities through initiatives like EDIS, EDIP, and SAFE-inspired tools.