Why military spending alone can't save Europe

The author contends that prioritizing military spending over green and social investments risks exacerbating Europe's vulnerabilities to climate change and social fragmentation. The text calls for a revision of EU fiscal rules to allow borrowing for high-multiplier public investments and suggests new revenue streams, such as taxes on centimillionaires, to fund these needs.

• European leaders are increasing military spending, including a 30 per cent increase since 2021 bringing EU total spending to 1.9 per cent of GDP, and proposing to jointly borrow 150 billion euros for defence.
• Climate breakdown is identified as a primary security threat that could trigger resource-driven conflicts and increase forced migration, while dependence on foreign technology leaves Europe vulnerable, with over 80 per cent of critical digital infrastructure coming from outside the EU.
• Current EU fiscal rules restrict vital investments; a Bruegel study indicates the expected increase in public investment across the EU will be less than 0.2 per cent of GDP, and a New Economics Foundation analysis found only three member states have sufficient fiscal space for green and social needs.
• Green investments provide higher economic returns than military spending; an IMF study found each euro spent on green technology generates between 1.10 and 1.50 euros in economic activity, whereas a Rand study suggests military spending delivers a lower multiplier than civilian infrastructure.
• To fund a more resilient economy, the document proposes a 2-per cent minimum tax on centimillionaires to raise 67 billion euros, or a 3-per cent tax to raise 121 billion euros.

APA

Mang, S. (2025). Why military spending alone can't save Europe. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/why-military-spending-alone-cant-save-europe/

Chicago

Mang, Sebastian. Why military spending alone can't save Europe. Green European Journal, 2025. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/why-military-spending-alone-cant-save-europe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Mang |first1=Sebastian |title=Why military spending alone can't save Europe |publisher=Green European Journal |date=25 March 2025 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/why-military-spending-alone-cant-save-europe/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mang2025why, author = {Mang, Sebastian}, title = {{Why military spending alone can't save Europe}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/why-military-spending-alone-cant-save-europe/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }