Lina Lund: It says the debate about « Defensewashing » about our time
The unity was unusually large. The leaders of all EU countries-including the Budapest Brusta-recently supported the multi-billion plan to re-arm Europe.
Under the slogan « Rearm Europe », they gave the Green Ljut to invest the equivalent of SEK 9,000 billion on the defense in the coming years.
« We are in an era of renovation, » said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
No one said against.
But when the plans now quickly Should become reality, not all capitals express the same enthusiasm.
While for example Poland digs the ditches and lays out barbed wire Along its eastern border to make a Russian progress more difficult, Member States farther south take a more pending attitude.
« The threat to us does not consist in Russia coming with troops through the Pyrenees, » said Spain’s prime minister, socialist Pedro Sanchez recently.
He was referring to the mountain range that constitutes a natural physical barrier between France and Spain, a luxury that the Eastern and Northern Europeans lack.
The favorable geographical situation is also reflected in Spain’s modest defense appropriations.
– Spain is very low, as US President Donald Trump noted earlier this year.
In spite of a good economy Spain laid only 1.28 percent of GDP last year – at least among the NATO countries and well below the Defense Alliance’s current target of 2 percent.
But the Madrid government may now have found a neat way to quickly ensure that the defense appropriations are rising – without making any major investments in the defense.
At reassuring geographical distance from Moscow, Pedro Sanchez has launched what he calls a « 360-degree vision » for security. This means that, among other things, anti -terror measures and investments in climate change should be allowed to be counted on the defense appropriations.
« It is about civil defense and the real threat from the climate situation in the Mediterranean, » the Prime Minister said recently.
Last fall, Spain was hit of severe floods demanding over 200 human life, and as Researchers linked to climate change.
Italy, which also belongs to the NATO countries that are worst in terms of the size of defense spending, has wanted to stretch the definition of what is to be counted as defense.
Something that has created great irritation in the EU circuit.
– one is engaged in Defensewashing And trying to water out the necessary investments in the defense. It shows that one does not understand how existentially the threat from Russia is, says an EU diplomat.
Defensewashing is a hint of what is called pinkwashing and greenwashing, and which refers to how, for example, a company gives the impression of caring about LGBTQ people or the climate-although in fact it acts in the opposite way.
When Italy wants to classify measures that strengthen the country’s competitiveness as defense initiatives, the country is accused of jeopardizing the security of Europe.
And in few contexts, the words play a more important role than in the Brussels Bubble.
But Spain and Italy can at least be pleased to have won a small part. The plan to equip Europe is no longer under the name « Rearm Europe », reports the online magazine Euronews.
It is now called only Readiness 2030.
