Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcasts.

European integration has been a key driver of economic growth, peace and social prosperity,

but challenges remain and crises could arise. In this podcast, we will look at the benefits of

more EU action. In its latest study, the cost of non-European in an age of global challenges, the European Parliament

Research Service finds that more EU action in 50 policy areas could bring large gains to

society, up to more than 2.8 trillion euros per year by 2032.

Want to know more? Stay with us.

Now in this podcast, we'll focus on the potential benefits in the area of defense.

In the face of the war in Ukraine and the reconfiguration of relations with Russia, the EU is

facing one of the most severe security

challenges in the last decades. To respond to such challenges and to geopolitical risks,

efforts are being made to bolster common EU approaches and institutions, including in the

defence sector. As regards defence, such efforts have been made with respect to the permanent structured

cooperation, the European Defence Fund and European Defence Industry reinforcement through the Common Procurement Act.

The European Defence Agency was also established in 2004 to promote and facilitate integration

between EU countries within the EU's

common security and defence policy. Moreover, there's been increasing attention given to the

EU's relations with NATO and multilateral partnerships. Despite these efforts, there

remain numerous opportunities for more cooperation at the EU level

that could reduce fragmentation of EU defence industries and budgetary waste.

For example, the combined expenditure of EU countries is about as high as China,

the second biggest spender behind the US.

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