EU’s ability to defend against invasion remains in doubt, finds official report

Fragmented infrastructure and reliance on US continue to hinder ‘defence readiness’, says European court of auditors

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The EU’s ability to respond to a foreign invasion by 2030 remains in doubt due to a continuing reliance on the US and fragmented national defence systems, according to a report from its official auditor.

The European court of auditors (ECA) said the EU was much better prepared than before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine of 2022, but achieving its goal of defence readiness by the end of the decade would be difficult.