Current trends in the military-industrial integration of the EU countries and implications for Ukraine

Abstract

In the face of common security challenges, the issue of protecting civilised countries from external military aggression is of utmost importance for the entire European continent. The research aims to analyse the existing integration processes in Europe and extrapolate them to the military-industrial complex of Ukraine since the Ukrainian state is an outpost of the European Union, where the entire range of modern military technologies is used. The objectives of the study are to identify trends in the military industries of the leading European countries and to assess the prospects for their further integration in the context of the current external military aggression. The key indicators were collected and analysed using statistical and regression analysis, as well as the longitudinal method. The study provided results on the development of defence spending in individual countries, data on the participation of EU countries in joint projects, the scope of sanctions imposed on the aggressor country, indicators of Ukraine's participation in the common customs area, and the volume of military assistance from partner countries. The analysis of the data led to the conclusion that the defence capability of both Ukraine and the entire European Union has significantly improved. It was also found that the replacement of outdated Soviet standards with modern Western ones has led to a significant increase in defence capabilities. In addition, the study found that the unjustified armed aggression against Ukraine strengthened relations between the countries of the European Defence Agency and gave them an impetus to develop collective defence capabilities and conclude joint agreements involving military-industrial complexes. From a practical point of view, the obtained indicators of changes on the continent made it possible to draw conclusions about the directions of further integration and to correct the identified shortcomings