EU Defense Union: Short-Term Feasibility and Long-Term Coherence

Key messages:
- Short-term solutions to European security should not create path dependencies leading to undesirable long-term outcomes
- Intertemporal coherence requires treating defense as a European public good with effective voting arrangements, robust financing mechanisms, long-term strategic autonomy, and tight joint command and control
- Only a Treaty reform or a separate European defense treaty of like-minded EU countries, with possible association of third countries, can deliver long-run security in Europe
- For the journey toward this outcome to be successful, medium-term goals should align with long-term objectives to avoid institutional incoherence