EC says the EU needs to be ready to go to war by 2030

The European Commission presented its Defense Readiness Roadmap 2030 in Brussels on Thursday. In spite of the fact that each member state is responsible for its own defense, Europe's defense readiness was presented as a common interest. According to the European Commission EU member states have five years to prepare for war, with Russia being named as the primary adversary.

One of the roadmap's primary objectives is to fill EU capability gaps in nine areas, including air and missile defense, military mobility, artillery systems, AI and cyber, missile and ammunition, drones and anti-drones, ground and maritime combat.

The document says the EU will help mobilize up to 800 billion euros to spend on defense, and also claims that member States will remain sovereign with regards to their national defense. However, in spite of the careful language, a number of member states are indignant over the EU's bid to play a greater role in defense.

Meanwhile, Croatia together with the Netherlands and Latvia, wants to be the leading nation in the production of drones and anti-drone systems, and the three countries are already holding meetings at a technical level. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said at yesterday’s NATO meeting that his country, together with Latvia and Croatia, is taking the lead in developing drone and anti-drone production capabilities.

Source: HRT