Better spending in Security and Defence was requested by Karl von Wogau, General Secretary of the European Security Foundation at a Conference at Cracow concerning the New Strategic Concept of Nato. He said at this occasion:

“The debate about the New Strategic Concept of Nato is a good opportunity to improve the relationship between Nato and the Security and Defence Policy of the European Union. Unnecessary duplications must be avoided. But not only between Nato and the European Union, but also between the Member States of the European Union.

The 27 Member States of the Union spend more than 200 billion Euro per year on Security and Defence, about half of the defence spending of the United States. But due to many duplications the efficiency of the European effort is much lower.

The European Union disposes of very useful instruments for the improvement of its capabilities. But until recently, the rules of the European Internal Market have not been applied for Security and Defence. The recent legislation of Parliament and Council concerning Defence Procurement and Intracommunity Transfer and the Creation of the European Defence Agency are important steps in the right direction.

The efficiency of the European contribution can also be improved by common standardization and certification. In the civilian economy, we have common procedures for European Standardization and for the Certification of new products. This is not yet the case for Security and Defence. The new helicopter NH 90 had to be certified in more than 20 Member States. Out of the cost of 20 billion Euro for this project, the cost of these certifications was 4 billion.

Training, logistics and transport are further areas where better spending is possible. The European Air Transport Command in Eindhoven is a good example of these possibilities.

Common contributions of the European Allies will at the same time improve the capabilities of the Atlantic Alliance.”