EADS Head Says EU Lacks Clear Security Policy

    By Daniel Michaels

    PARIS--European policy on foreign affairs and security is less coherent now than at any point since the Cold War ended, widening a military gap with the U.S., said Tom Enders, chief executive of Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. (EAD.FR)

    Mr. Enders, a German and former paratrooper, told an audience that Britain and France are the only "serious military powers in Europe" and Germany "is clearly not willing to play in that league." Other European countries "lack financial means" to take a significant role, he said.

    European politicians have talked for years about unifying their defense policies but their military structures and planning are still organized at the national level. That disunity means European military spending is less effective than U.S. military outlays. The U.S. also spends more than twice what Europe spends on defense as a percent of gross domestic product.

    "There is a growing capabilities gap between Europe and the U.S. in terms of military forces," Mr. Enders said.

    The European Union in 2009 created the office of High Representative for Foreign Affairs to give the bloc a more coherent voice externally. But large member countries still pursue their own agendas and have given limited power to the new post, held by Catherine Ashton. EU governments have also created two offices to unify military procurements but still handle their largest purchases individually.

    European views on security sometimes diverge sharply, with Britain, France and some other countries having shown willingness to use force overseas, while Germany is much more hesitant.

    "I think we are further away from a common European security and defense policy than at any point in the past 20 years," Mr. Enders said. "Libya, Syria and Mali have clearly demonstrated that." British and French leaders have been much more willing to intervene in conflicts in those countries than politicians in Germany and some other countries.

    Britain, France and other EU countries including Italy, Spain, Denmark and Poland have also taken part in military or policing actions in Iraq, Afghanistan and fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean. Germany, Europe's largest economy, has played a much smaller part, largely due to the legacy of its aggression in World War II. German security forces face much stricter legal limits on overseas deployments than do those of other EU countries, and Germany has been reluctant to test those limits.

    In December, leaders of the 28 EU countries plan to hold a summit devoted to security and defense policy. But Mr. Enders and other industry officials doubt the meeting will yield much beyond statements calling for greater unity.

    "I'm skeptical as to the outcome of the defense summit at the end of the year," Mr. Enders said. He said it was "telling" that the last EU summit addressing security and defense was more than five years ago.

    Lacking a clear EU agenda, "the U.K. and France really must lead," Mr. Enders said. "I do not think the push can come from the EU."

    Write to Daniel Michaels at dan.michaels@wsj.com