Despite billions of euros invested in defense, EU member states would be unable to rapidly deploy troops and heavy equipment within the EU in the event of a war, according to a special report by the European Court of Auditors, as reported by the Spiegel.
The action plan, adopted by the EU in November 2022 in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has failed to deliver. The EU Commission did not thoroughly assess the need before developing the plan and “no solid estimate of the funding” was made. As a result, the 1.7 billion euro fund, already relatively small, would be depleted by the end of 2023 and a financing gap would emerge by the end of the 2027 budget period.
Furthermore, the court found that projects were selected for EU financing before the most pressing priorities were established. Additionally, the initiatives were not always chosen based on strategic importance or a comprehensive view of the situation. Bureaucratic hurdles also played a role.
For instance, tanks could not be transported from one EU country to another if they exceeded the local road traffic regulations. In one case, heavy equipment had to take a significant detour because a crucial bridge might have collapsed otherwise.