EU to be ‘ready’ for war with Russia by 2030

EU countries have five years to prepare for war, according to a military plan that will be presented by the European Commission on Thursday and was seen by POLITICO.

"By 2030, Europe needs a sufficiently strong European defence posture to credibly deter its adversaries, as well as respond to any aggressions," says the draft plan, which will be discussed by defense ministers late Wednesday before being presented to the College of Commissioners on Thursday. It goes to EU leaders next week.

The Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 is a sign of the EU's growing role in military affairs, a reaction to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s unclear commitment to European security.

"A militarised Russia poses a persistent threat to European security for the foreseeable
future," says the document, which was first reported by Bloomberg.

While EU countries are rapidly increasing their defense budgets, much of that spending "remains overwhelmingly national, leading to fragmentation, cost-inflation and lack of
interoperability," says the 16-page document.

The EU executive body is pushing capitals to buy weapons together and wants at least 40 percent of defense procurement to be joint contracts by the end of 2027 — up from less than a fifth now. The roadmap also sets targets for at least 55 percent of arms purchases to come from EU and Ukrainian companies by 2028 and at least 60 percent by 2030.