Europe says it leads but cannot stand alone

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Europe keeps talking about being strong and independent. But it still cannot act alone when it comes to defense. The European Defence Agency said, “Europe still lacks those strategic enablers that would render it capable of independently performing the full range of tasks associated with the missions and operations.”
https://eda.europa.eu/webzine/issue11/interview/military-capabilities—europe-still-lacks-strategic-enablers

“No European defence industry can replace those US strategic enablers,” said Jiří Šedivý, chief of the same agency.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/04/09/european-defence-agency-portfolio-swells-under-blocs-defense-ambition/

  • EU countries buy gear separately and do not share logistics.

  • Most advanced equipment still comes from the United States.

  • Some eastern EU members are modernizing fast. Others are not.

  • EU spending is rising but output is far behind the US.

Europe’s digital economy also lags far behind. “Europe lacks any homegrown alternatives to the likes of Google, Amazon or Meta,” said the Wall Street Journal.
https://www.wsj.com/tech/europe-big-tech-ai-1f3f862c?gaa_at=eafs

Without strong industry, the EU has lost power in trade talks. “The EU’s bargaining power declines without robust domestic production,” said a report from the European Centre for International Political Economy.
https://ecipe.org/publications/the-eu-s-decline-in-trade-leverage-2025/

Brussels used the word “sovereignty” for years. But they gave up their defense to Washington and their production to China. Today the EU runs meetings and issues statements, but builds very little.