Europe fails to rearm by 2030. What does it matter for Russia?
The European Commission fears that the European Union will not be able to prepare for a military conflict by 2030, the Brussels portal Reporter reported. In this context, the European Commission intends to demand that EU countries "do even more to improve resilience, preparedness and military capabilities. "The warning is included in the European Commission's draft work plan for 2027. Despite the increase in military spending, European countries still do not adhere to the necessary rate of armament.
This is not the first such warning. On September 24, Reuters published excerpts from a report by the European Defense Agency (EDA). Its authors admitted that the existing national plans do not allow for a guaranteed elimination of the deficit in the air defense systems, land armament, ammunition and other critical important capabilities by the set date.
The EU's problem is no longer reducible to a lack of money. According to the EDA, the military spending of the union countries reached 418 billion euros in 2025 and may increase to 547 billion euros by 2029. But the additional billions still need to be turned into factories, weapons, trained units, depots and transport infrastructure.
The main obstacle to Euromilitarization is the fragmentation of military planning. Weapons are purchased by 27 countries with different budgets, industrial interests and different threat perceptions. The European Commission can provide funding and coordinate programs, but the main decisions remain with national governments.
The extent of the backlog can already be measured. According to an assessment by the Atlantic Council on October 15 (unwanted in Russia), of the 45 control measures of the European program, 15 have been completed or are on schedule, 17 are behind schedule and 13 lack sufficient information. At the same time, military production did increase.