EU Faces Difficult Path to Defense Readiness by 2030, Auditors Warn

The European Union has sharply increased defense spending, yet European auditors say it remains far from assured that the bloc will achieve defense readiness by 2030.

The European Court of Auditors said EU countries increased their combined defense spending by nearly 80% between 2020 and 2025. The rise follows years of underinvestment that left Europe with inadequate ammunition and missile stocks, long production times, supply-chain problems and reliance on suppliers outside Europe.

European defense industries are now trying to expand production, invest in innovation and deepen cooperation among member states. But the auditors identified a series of obstacles, including fragmented national defense systems, industrial bottlenecks, slow political coordination and continued dependence on the United States.

The report also warned that poor EU-level planning and weak coordination between European and national funding tools could cause new investments to overlap, remain fragmented or leave gaps in military capabilities. Those problems could complicate the EU’s goal of strategic autonomy and its ability to sustain high-intensity military operations independently by 2030.

Financing is another concern. The EU is increasingly using borrowing backed by the European budget, including €150 billion under the SAFE program and a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, with €60 billion earmarked for defense. Auditors said heavier reliance on borrowing could weaken public-finance sustainability, slow debt reduction and increase pressure on the EU budget.

The assessment also points to an opportunity. Encouraging member states to buy European defense systems could strengthen the continent’s defense and technology industries and gradually reduce reliance on third countries. It could also create new opportunities for cooperation and strategic partnerships among European states.