aderfp633
Inscrit le: 27 Sep 2011
Messages: 7915
Localisation: England
|
 Posté le: Lun Juil 29, 2013 11:39 pm Sujet du message: \keywords1.txt |
 |
|
Can the EU Cooperate on Defense?
By Naftali BendavidWorried that Europe’s defense industry is inefficient and badly fragmented, the European Union sought Wednesday to prod its member states toward a more cooperative approach to national security.That could mean everything from working together on satellite tech #file_links[D:\keywords3.txt,1,S] nology to setting uniform standards for ammunition. But the goal faces a serious challenge from countries’ traditional desire to control their own defense.The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, argued in a report that change is crucial as defense ministries and their suppliers face pressure from cuts in military spending,motorcycle mufflers, accompanied by American demands that Europe take more responsibility for its own defense.No longer can Europe be content with “letting everybody go their own sweet way,” said Michael Barnier, the EU s commissioner for internal market and services.The commission report outlined ways to make the defense market more cohesive and efficient, taking aim for example at countries’ tendency to favor home-grown suppliers and order military equipment based on their particular standards, rather than Europe-wide ones.The commission recommendations were fairly general. EU leaders will consider them at a December meeting, and the commission will likely pursue more concrete proposals after that.But the sense of urgency was evident Wednesday. “It may seem modest, but issues like sta #file_links[D:\keywords4.txt,motorcycle exhaust,1,S] ndardization are extremely important from an economic point of view,” said Commission President José Manuel Barroso. “What happens today is that the market is extremely fragmented.”The lack of a common certification for ground-launched ammunition, for example, costs Europe €1.5 billion a year, the commission estimated. Antonio Tajani, European commissioner for industry and entrepreneurship, said that during the war in Bosnia, European armored vehicles couldn’t work together because their computers weren t linked.But standardization isn t the only challenge. The report also stressed the need to link civilian and military efforts when possible, for example in space, and the importance of pooling resources when it comes to satellite communications, which can be enormously expensive.Officials also say they hope to encourage skills important to the defense industry by retraining workers. And they pledged to work to end “offsets,” payments imposed by some countries on defense manufacture #file_links[D:\keywords2.txt,1,S] rs from outside #file_links[D:\keywords1.txt,1,S] their own countries.The proposals could face obstacles, officials acknowledged, because countries are wary of ceding control when it comes to their national security. “Things can’t be changed overnight, of course,” Mr. Tajani said. But he added that the commission was responding to a request from European leaders.Others said budget cuts leave few alternatives to cooperation. EU military spending fell to €194 billion from €251 billion in the decade ended in 2010 and that s before many states began seriously slashing their overall government spending. The U.S. now spends seven times more on defense research and development than all 28 EU countries put together.Still, the defense industry remains crucial to E #file_links[D:\keywords5.txt,1,S] urope, not only due to the importance of national security but also because it employs some 400,000 people.After EU leaders discuss the commission report in December, officials say they will draw up “a detailed roadmap with concrete actions and timelines.”Follow @NaftaliBendavid |
|
