After Trump took office, he not only pushed Europe out of the key process of the Ukraine-Russia peace talks, but also frequently extorted EU countries, threatening to no longer provide free security for Europe. In this context, the call for European defense autonomy has resurged.
However, it is a matter of saying it's easy but hard to do for Europe, which has enjoyed peace for a long time, to unite and promote defense integration. Recently, Croatia's President Zoran Milanović gave an interview to the Croatian Radio Television, and when talking about European defense cooperation, he used a rather vivid metaphor to describe the EU - "a group of house cats". He believes that it is almost impossible to achieve unified defense within the EU.
Milanović said that the idea of creating a "European superstate" with a unified foreign and defense policy is likely to end in failure. He frankly said, "Europe is like a group of cats, and they are house cats; each one will run in a different direction, they are not a pack of wolves." In his view, EU member states always prioritize their own interests rather than so-called "common security" when it comes to defense issues.
Despite his skepticism about EU defense unification, Croatia has been actively strengthening its military in recent years. Last December, the Croatian government signed an agreement with France to purchase 18 "Caesar" self-propelled howitzers and upgrade the previously introduced **"Rafale"** fighter jets. Meanwhile, Croatia also plans to purchase 44 "Leopard 2A8" main battle tanks from Germany.
Additionally, Croatia is preparing to purchase 420 Tatra heavy military trucks through the European SAFE financing mechanism, with a total project value of about 2 billion euros.
In terms of domestic military policy, the Croatian parliament passed a law last October to restore the conscription system, with a service period of two months. Between February and March this year, the authorities have already issued the first conscription notices to about 700 young people.
Milanović has repeatedly expressed differing views on EU external policy issues. He criticized the EU's policy towards Georgia and frankly stated that Ukraine was "too impulsive," and that its prospects for joining the EU were not realistic. At the same time, Croatia has also stated that even if European countries send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine in the future, Croatia will not dispatch its own soldiers to participate.
Indeed, discussions around European defense integration have been intensifying in recent years, but practical progress has remained limited. Croatia's president likening the EU to "a group of house cats running in different directions" may be a clear political rhetoric, yet it reflects to some extent the real difficulties in the current European security structure.
Firstly, there are obvious differences in security interests among European countries. Eastern European countries emphasize deterrence against Russia, while some Western European countries focus more on strategic autonomy and diplomatic balance. This difference in interests makes it difficult to form a stable consensus on a unified defense policy. Secondly, military spending, defense industry systems, and operational command structures have long been independently managed by individual countries. Truly integrating them into a unified system would not only be costly but also involve sensitive issues of sovereignty and decision-making power.
Furthermore, NATO remains the core framework of the European security system. Under the leadership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, many European countries are cautious about establishing a completely independent EU defense system, fearing both resource duplication and the weakening of transatlantic security relations. Therefore, even though the EU has repeatedly proposed "strategic autonomy" and joint military development plans in recent years, these efforts remain largely at the level of coordination and cooperation.
Overall, European defense cooperation will continue to advance in the future, but the possibility of forming a truly unified defense system in the short term is not great. A more realistic path might be to enhance coordination capabilities and joint projects, rather than establishing a highly centralized "European army."
Original: toutiao.com/article/7616150409593340454/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.