EU Appoints First Defense Commissioner
Andrius Kubilius, former Lithuanian prime minister, became the EU’s first Defense and Space Commissioner on Tuesday. In making the appointment, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen emphasized the need for the new role to help face the threat from Russia.
Kubilius’s main role will be to organize the EU’s defense industry and help member countries rearm after massive shortages of ammunition and other equipment due to shipments to Ukraine.
He will work on developing the European defense union and boosting our investment in capacity. I’m very clear about the fact that there are competences of the member states, like the composition of the troops, the missions, the deployment. [Kubilius] is responsible for the single market and the industry … and the strengthening of the defense industrial base.
— Ursula Von der Leyen
Responsibilities: In her mission statement to Kubilius, Von der Leyen instructed him to draft a paper within 100 days on the future of European defense that will prepare member states for the “most extreme military contingencies.”
Kubilius’s other responsibilities include:
- Building out mobility corridors
- Drafting schemes to increase production capacity
- Lobbying for resources
- Consolidating demand for military equipment among member states
- Developing concepts for a European air defense shield
- Strengthening cyberdefense programs
- Managing the eu’s Galileo and Copernicus satellite programs
- Helping launch the bloc’s new Internet satellite, iris²
Issues: Kubilius will have a limited budget and potentially little authority, as some of his responsibilities overlap with other commissioners. Generally, member states prefer to hold sovereignty over their defense, and Kubilius will not oversee any armies.
“The new commissioner will have to invest a lot of energy to convince the big member states that they are better off working together as a European Union,” European Free Alliance member Hannah Neumann said, adding that he “will have to work closely with Parliament to support that push.”
However, the extent of Kubilius’s responsibilities is vague and Von der Leyen’s decision to name the position “defense commissioner” could suggest that it overrules national governments.
Militarization: Threats like the one from Russia are causing Europe to search for ways to defend itself. Militarization, defense and unity are growing ambitions for the EU.
Learn more: Read “Europe is Undertaking a Massive Arming Spree.”
