The new EU lending scheme is a breakthrough, but should be accompanied by a financial unit to support industrial potential.
Rob Murray, the former head of the NATO innovation department and the General Director of the Group for Safety and Sustainability Development (DSR), wrote about this in Politico.
Murray says that the long -awaited awakening of the defense of Europe finally came.
Thanks to the creation of a safe action program, the new EU EU EU program in the EU in the amount of 150 billion euros, Brussels did what was unthinkable five years ago: a joint question about buying weapons with significant fiscal flexibility for member countries.
This is a breakthrough moment. But if the safe must ensure prolonged safety, this requires a second financial mechanism – such that it supports not only purchases, but also industrial capacities – specialized multilateral protection, safety and stability, Murray writes.
Security is rightly considered a historical milestone. For the first time, the EU institutions together will attract capital on behalf of all 27 member states to finance joint procurement of high-quality defense capabilities from artillery shells and air defense systems in cyber tools. Contracts should be delivered at least 65% of its value in the EU or its close partners, such as Ukraine and Switzerland. The United Kingdom, the United States and Türkiye will be entitled to the rest of the share, provided that the security agreement with Brussels is formalized.
For a bloc that could not agree on a modest fund of 5 billion euros in 2019, this is a striking change in both thinking and in methods.
A short -term financial bonus is also provided. Brussels will allow the government to violate the stability and increase of up to 1.5% of GDP by 2028 to ensure safe costs – this step will reduce the pressure in capital, where subsidies associated with borrowing and energy associated with public finances during pandemia.
However, despite its entire scale and symbolism, SAFE is essentially a demand mechanism: since the program is structured as a sovereign debt, it must close new obligations by 2030 and cannot re -use payments. In addition, its funds are accepted only by governments, and not directly for firms, which makes suppliers of the second and third levels – companies that actually produce sets – depending on cautious commercial banks that give them access to funds.
Europe already knows how it will end: in 2023, the growing demand for ammunition was faced with freezing a credit environment and caused a shortage of critical offers. Safe, despite all its strengths, is not an industrial strategy.
But the DSR bank will provide the missing part.
With the support of a growing political impulse, both in Brussels and in London, such an institution will follow the models of multilateral development banks, but with an exceptional mandate for defense, safety and stability. It will be funded by paid capital and called by its shareholders (sovereign states) and will have the right to issue bonds with the AAA rating. Then these funds will maintain direct lending to governments and firms and propose guaranteeing commercial banks to provide funding for suppliers, investments in infrastructure and export agreements.
The most important thing is that these assets can remain in national budgets or in the balance sheet of the bank are important fiscal flexibility, since countries seek to expand defense costs without increasing the official deficit.
Moreover, since multilateral banks usually use their capital two to three times, the initial capitalization of 25 billion euros can reveal the credit potential from 75 to 100 billion euros, and this is only the beginning. Thanks to wider participation and scaling over time, the bank can grow significantly by creating a patient’s capital base that the European defense sector has not had decades.
Instead of competition, Safe and DSR Bank will work in tandem, strengthening each other to strengthen the defense-industrial base of Europe. SAFE will create combined demand and mutual financial risk, while DSR Bank will ensure compatibility of industrial supplies, especially during future falls, when state orders can be reduced, but protection should remain high.
In short, one fulfills orders, the other provides opportunities for their implementation. And if Europe should turn this moment of urgency into long -term readiness, both are important.
However, in order to realize this potential, politicians will have to act quickly. For example, a joint declaration at the June Summit of NATO may officially create a DSR bank as a coalition of those who want to receive a coalition paid by the capital of capital, which is enough to start the bank’s activities in 2026 – only when safe payments reach peak.
Part of each safe contract can be allocated to finance DSR suppliers, which directly binds a loan with procurement cycles, while giving small and medium enterprises confidence in the possibility of expansion. It is important that the DSR bank also goes beyond the EU, covering partners such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Australia – liberal democracy with a developed defense sector and a common interest in European security architecture.
SaFe has already proved that Europe can act in agreement and quickly. DSR Bank will now prove that it can invest together in the long term.
Without such an EU institution, he risks nourishing inflation and depletes his financial space when strategic competition with autocratic states is deepening. The regeneration of the protection of the continent cannot work on only one cylinder. It’s time to start the second engine.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.