Media: EU military chiefs demand overhaul of NATO deal as defence spending soars

The European Union’s top military officials are urging a review of the bloc’s key defence pact with NATO as Europe steps up its military spending and seeks greater autonomy in security matters, according to an internal document seen by Euractiv.

In a note titled “European Defence Readiness 2030 – EUMC Military-Strategic Cooperation”, the EU Military Committee said that revising the 2003 Berlin Plus agreement could strengthen European defence by improving crisis coordination with NATO, Caliber.Az reports.

The Berlin Plus agreement allows the EU to use NATO assets for operations, but only with NATO’s approval. The EUMC argues that this arrangement may now be too restrictive, especially as geopolitical shifts, like the United States' growing focus on the Indo-Pacific and internal NATO disputes involving Türkiye, raise questions about the alliance’s reliability in certain scenarios.

“Considering the accelerating US pivot towards the Indo-Pacific region, and repeated calls for fairer burden sharing within NATO, which remains the cornerstone of deterrence and European collective defence, Europe cannot take the US contribution to European security for granted,” the EUMC document reads.

The advisory note adds that the EU “must therefore define its contribution to deterrence and territorial defence, which would also strengthen NATO”.

Chaired by Austrian General Robert Brieger—soon to be succeeded by Irish Lt. Gen. Seán Clancy—the EUMC is made up of senior military representatives from all 27 EU member states. Its latest recommendation comes amid a renewed push across Europe to rebuild military capabilities in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine and uncertainty over future US support.

The EUMC paper also addresses longstanding concerns over the Berlin Plus framework. Critics argue that it effectively gives all NATO members a veto over EU operations using NATO resources. In the early 2000s, for instance, Turkish opposition to the EU’s peacekeeping mission in Macedonia delayed deployment for months.

The note proposes that the EU and NATO establish a formal “crisis protocol” to clarify responsibilities in situations where both NATO’s Article 5 and the EU’s mutual defence clause—Article 42(7)—are triggered.

So far, Article 42(7) has only been invoked once, by France after the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. Finland considered using it in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but refrained. Greece has also raised the possibility amid tensions with Türkiye.

As the EU invests in collective defence—launching a 5,000-strong rapid deployment force and significantly boosting arms procurement—the military leadership is pressing for greater strategic clarity. Without revisiting Berlin Plus, they warn, Europe’s ability to act independently in times of crisis may remain limited.

By Aghakazim Guliyev