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The Alternative party decided to join the current parliamentary majority and the government, party spokesperson Orhan Murtezani told a news conference Saturday night. On Sunday, Afrim Gashi, leader of Alternative and Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister, signed a program on joint...

The Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces received four new US Bell helicopters, which will be put in service later this month after they are equipped and prepared for flight, the country’s defence ministry and the US Embassy have confirmed. The...

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Serbia over the weekend. They blocked main traffic arteries and bridges in over 50 cities, including Belgrade, for two hours, in protest against a mining project of the Rio Tinto...

Six Italian military doctors and nurses arrived in Slovenia on Sunday to help treat COVID-19 patients. Another nine will join them on Monday, according to an agreement reached by the countries’ defence ministers. The 15 Italian medical professionals, including five...

President Zoran Milanović’s recent statement on the 1995 Srebrenica genocide “crossed a red line”, Armin Hodžić, the Bosniak ethnic minority council chairman in Croatia said. Milanović sparked controversy recently when he said, “there are genocides and genocides. There is genocide against...

Croatia is one of Russia’s “fundamental partners in the EU”, said Dmitry Patrushev after the tenth intergovernmental Croatian-Russian commission for economic, scientific and technical cooperation. Dmitry Patrushev is the son of Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia and...

Elvétve köddel és jegesedéssel kezdődött a hétfő reggel. Napközben felhős/borús idő várható. Eleinte sok helyen havazás – az alacsonyabban fekvő vidékeken eső, vagy havas eső – lesz a jellemző. Délután nyugaton csökkeni fog a felhőzet, és fokozatosan megszűnik a csapadék.

Today, the European Defence Agency (EDA) published its annual Defence Data report for 2019-2020, detailing defence spending by the 26 EDA Member States. In 2020, total defence spending stood at €198 billion, marking a further 5% increase on 2019, and making it the highest level ever recorded by EDA since it began collecting data in 2006. EDA’s report also finds that 19 Member States increased their overall defence spending in 2020, with 6 raising spending by over 10%.

Sustained Rise in Defence Expenditure and Investment

At €198 billion, total defence expenditure corresponds to 1.5 % of the 26 EDA Member States’ gross domestic product (GDP) and marks the sixth year of consecutive growth. For the second year in a row EDA has recorded a 5% rise in defence spending, despite the economic impacts of COVID-19.

EDA’s Defence Data report finds that the sustained increase in overall spending is also reflected in national numbers. In 2020, of the 19 Member States who increased spending, 13 raised spending by 5% or more. 6 Member States raised it by 10% or more.  7 Member States reduced spending, up from 3 in 2019, for a combined total reduction of €1.42 billion.

Increased spending was also recorded in a variety of areas, with defence investments in research, development and procurement of new equipment continuing to grow. Defence investments by Member States hit EDA’s high-ever recorded figure of €44 billion, representing a 5% increase on 2019.

When combined, Member States have achieved the 20% benchmark of defence investment as a percentage of total defence expenditure, with 14 Member States allocating 20% or more, while a joint EDA recorded low of only 3 states spent less than 10% in this area.

New low in collaborative European defence spending

Despite the sustained rise in total defence expenditure, collaborative defence spending has continued to trend downward. In 2020, Member States spent a total of €4.1 billion on the procurement of new equipment in cooperation with others, a fall of 13% compared to 2019. The data submitted to EDA shows a significant reduction in European collaborative defence equipment procurement since 2016. Member States conducted just 11% of their total equipment procurement in cooperation with other EU Member States in 2020, falling well short of the 35% collective benchmark, which is also a commitment under Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

European Defence Spending - 2020 Key Findings

EDA’s report, based on data voluntarily provided by Ministries of Defence, also finds that total defence expenditure represented 2.8% of total government expenditure. Additional findings include:

• Of the €44 billion spent on defence investments, 83% or €36 billion were used for equipment procurement and 17% or €8 billion for research and development. The same percentage split as in 2019.
• Procurement of new equipment has benefited most from increased spending with a record €36 billion allocated in 2020, compared to the recent low of €21 billion in 2014.
• A record €2.5 billion was allocated to defence research and technology in 2020. The increase is driven by two Member States – France and Germany – who together provide more than 90% of the increase in R&T.

EDA Chief Executive, Jiří Šedivý said: “The sustained rise in European defence spending is a positive development and 2020’s figures show that the errors of deep defence cuts following the 2007-2008 financial crisis are unlikely to be repeated. I particularly welcome the record €2.5 billion allocated to defence research and technology as a positive sign for the long-term, but equally hope to see more Member States invest in this key domain for European competitiveness and autonomy.

Through EDA’s work on European defence cooperation, I remain convinced that spending better means spending together. Based on the data we received, the downward trend on European collaborative spending is particularly concerning. There are reasons to be optimistic that this trend will be reversed in the years to come as PESCO projects mature, CARD focus areas are taken forward and the European Defence Fund is launched. It is now time for Member States to firmly move European defence collaboration from process to projects.”

Uneven Investment in Defence Research & Technology

In 2020, defence Research and Technology (R&T) spending amounted to €2.5 billion, marking a massive 46% increase compared to 2019 and an EDA recorded high. This brings defence R&T expenditure as a percentage of total defence expenditure above 1% for the first time since 2014.

The trend of running defence projects predominantly nationally rather than collectively also applies to defence R&T. In 2020, Member States spent €143 million on defence R&T projects in cooperation with other EU states, representing 6% of Member States total defence R&T expenditure. This marks the lowest share recorded by EDA since it started collecting data in 2005 and is far below the benchmark of 20%. Uneven R&T investment is also evident here as 6 Member States – Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain – do achieve the 20% benchmark, of which 3 spend more than 50% of their defence R&T expenditure with others.

Background

EDA collects defence data on an annual basis, and has done so since 2006, in line with the Agency’s Ministerial Steering Board Decision of November 2005. The Ministries of Defence of the Agency’s 26 Member States provide the data. EDA acts as the custodian of the data and publishes the aggregated figures in its booklets.

All data is collated (“total incorporates 26 EDA Member States”), and it has been rounded. Defence expenditure figures are provided in constant 2020 prices, to take inflation into account and allow for a comparison across years.

• EDA Defence Data Report 2019-2020

 

The first cases of Omicron infection were confirmed in Romania, prompting the government to adopt new measures for travellers. Romania confirmed Saturday that the Omicron variant was found in two patients who arrived last week on a special flight from...

State administration in Bulgaria will be reduced by 15% by the end of 2022, Asen Vassilev, co-chairman of the coalition “Continuing Change”, announced on Sunday. The move could see around 30,000 people lose their jobs. Vassilev will likely be elected...

Far-right politicians failed to agree a new EU Parliament group at a summit in Warsaw, but vowed to "align votes" in future.

Croatian police tried to withhold incriminating evidence of likely pushbacks, documented in a hand-written logbook, from the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe human rights watchdog.

Hungarian and Estonian diplomats have blocked a revised set of tax rules, potentially derailing an effort to curb the race for ever-lower corporate taxes in the EU.

The EU Commission is expected to present a revision of the Schengen border code, plus a proposal on the rights of so-called platform workers.

France will take over the EU presidency on 1 January. If Emmanuel Macron wants to make it a stepping stone in European integration, he should make additional efforts to Europeanise its objectives and seriously engage with EU partners beyond Germany.

Ruling Fidesz’s minority coalition partner, the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP), wrote a letter expressing its concerns to Donald Tusk, President of the European People’s Party (EPP), about the meeting with the Hungarian opposition’s joint candidate for Prime Minister, independent...

The number of disinformation campaigns accelerated in Slovakia, the country’s Information Service (SIS) wrote in its annual report for 2020. It found increased activity from China and actors working on their behalf. “Actors acting in favour of China have spent...

Wer den EU-Politikern zuhört, könnte davon überzeugt sein, dass die Revolution der Elektrofahrzeuge in vollem Gange ist. EURACTIV hat in ganz Europa recherchiert.

The European Partnership for Clean Aviation has taken off! With the support of the European Union and in line with the European Green Deal’s objectives, the new Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking will pave the way towards climate-neutral aviation in Europe by 2050.

Das Europaratskomitee zur Verhütung von Folter (CPT) hat einen Bericht veröffentlicht, in dem die Gewalt der kroatischen Polizei gegen Migrant:innen beschrieben wird. Zagreb hatte zuvor versucht, die Arbeit des Komitees zu blockieren.