Europe can afford to defend itself without US but needs more coordination: study

Europe needs to spend around €250 billion (US$261.6 billion) annually in defence investments to secure itself without US support, a sum the bloc could bear given its economic strength, according to a study published on Friday.

This spending, equivalent to 1.5 per cent of the EU’s gross domestic product, would allow Europe to mobilise some 300,000 soldiers to defend itself against Russia, the study by research institute Bruegel and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy said.

The study also called for closer coordination and joint procurement, noting that despite Europe’s financial means, defence coordination within the continent remains a major challenge among national armed forces.

Most European states have come under increased pressure from US President Donald Trump to ramp up military capabilities further, with his defence minister last week warning Europe against treating America like a “sucker” by making it responsible for its defence.

German Chancellor front runner Friedrich Merz on Thursday cast doubt on Washington’s future presence in Nato while US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz gave all Nato members a June deadline for fully meeting the defence spending target of 2 per cent of GDP.

  

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