Germany proposes ‘two-speed’ EU to hasten defense buildup

PRAGUE — Germany is spearheading an initiative to create a “two-speed” European Union, proposing that a core group of six major economies bypass the bloc’s traditional consensus-based decision-making to accelerate defense cooperation and industrial competitiveness amid mounting geopolitical pressures.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and his French counterpart, Roland Lescure, jointly convened finance ministers from Poland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands on Jan. 28 for a video conference to establish what is being called the E6 format of the six leading European economies.

“Now is the time for a Europe of two speeds,” Klingbeil said at a Berlin event ahead of the meeting.

In a letter of invitation to his colleagues, obtained by Defense News, Klingbeil presented a four-point agenda that makes defense spending a priority alongside a Savings and Investment Union, strengthening the Euro and securing critical raw materials.

“Europe has to become stronger and more resilient,” Klingbeil said in the letter. “Work towards this goal needs to be sped up in all dimensions. Continuing as before is not an option.”

Klingbeil’s two-page document calls for enhanced collaboration on defense spending and urges making defense a key focus in the next EU multiannual budget. The letter also calls for “turning defense into an engine for growth” for the continent’s economy.

The German finance minister described the Jan. 28 call as a kick-off meeting, saying that he hoped to have a follow-up meeting on the sidelines of the next EUROGroup meeting, a gathering of finance ministers of the Euro-zone.

The two-speed concept for deeper European integration, while not entirely new to EU discussions, is gaining fresh momentum as the bloc confronts what many here describe as an urgent need to reduce dependence on the United States for defense.

However, the approach risks fracturing European cohesion by alienating EU members who are on board with deeper integration but are not part of the group of six. German officials have indicated that the format would remain flexible and possibly open to additional participants.

The initiative also reflects a strategic recalibration in Berlin’s European partnerships.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz signed a comprehensive German-Italian “Protocol on a Plan of Action for strategic cooperation” with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Jan. 27, which commits both nations to “urgently and jointly achieve European defence readiness by closing capability gaps and strengthening the European pillar in NATO.” They will collaborate on integrated air and missile defense, unmanned systems, naval vessels, electronic warfare, and potentially a common land combat platform.

Simultaneously, Berlin is deepening ties eastward: Merz announced in November that Germany and Poland are drafting a new defense policy agreement to be concluded in 2026, with the Bundeswehr already increasing joint exercises with Polish forces and expanding cooperation on drone detection and neutralization.

The initiative comes as Germany itself undergoes a historic military buildup. Berlin’s 2026 budget allocates €82.69 billion ($98.92 billion) for the Bundeswehr, with an additional €25.5 billion ($30.5 billion) from a special defense fund, as Merz pursues his stated goal of making Germany “the strongest conventional army in Europe.”

At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 22, Merz reaffirmed plans for Germany to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, calling it “a huge increase” necessary to assert European sovereignty.

All this comes against the backdrop of strained relations in the EU’s traditional Franco-German growth engine, precipitated by an impasse in the Future Combat Air System project meant to design Europe’s next-generation fighter jet, and the challenges posed to collective EU action by unanimity rules among the Bloc’s 27 member countries.

Linus Höller is Defense News' Europe correspondent and OSINT investigator. He reports on the arms deals, sanctions, and geopolitics shaping Europe and the world. He holds master’s degrees in WMD nonproliferation, terrorism studies, and international relations, and works in four languages: English, German, Russian, and Spanish.

布拉格——德国正牵头发起一项倡议，旨在创建一个“双速”欧盟，提议由六个主要经济体组成的核心集团绕过欧盟传统的基于共识的决策机制，以在日益增长的地缘政治压力下加快国防合作和工业竞争力。

1月28日，德国财政部长拉尔斯·克林贝伊和法国财政部长罗兰·莱斯库尔共同召集波兰、西班牙、意大利和荷兰的财政部长举行视频会议，旨在建立所谓的欧洲六大经济体E6模式。

“现在是欧洲实行两种速度的时候了，”克林贝尔在会议召开前于柏林举行的一次活动上说道。

据《防务新闻》获得的一封致同事的邀请函显示，克林贝伊尔提出了一个四点议程，将国防开支列为优先事项，同时还包括建立储蓄和投资联盟、加强欧元以及确保关键原材料供应。

克林贝伊在信中表示：“欧洲必须变得更强大、更有韧性。实现这一目标的步伐必须在各个方面加快。继续沿用以往的做法是行不通的。”

克林贝伊尔的这份两页文件呼吁加强国防开支方面的合作，并敦促将国防作为欧盟下一年度多年预算的重点。信中还呼吁将国防“打造成为推动欧洲大陆经济增长的引擎”。

德国财政部长将 1 月 28 日的通话描述为一次启动会议，并表示希望在下一次欧元区财长会议（EUROGroup）期间举行后续会议。

虽然“双速推进欧洲一体化”的概念在欧盟的讨论中并非全新，但随着欧盟面临许多人所说的迫切需要减少对美国国防的依赖，这一概念正在获得新的动力。

然而，这种做法可能会疏远那些支持深化一体化但并非六国集团成员的欧盟成员国，从而破坏欧洲的凝聚力。德国官员表示，该模式将保持灵活性，并可能向其他成员国开放。

该倡议也反映了柏林在欧洲伙伴关系方面的战略调整。

1月27日，德国总理弗里德里希·默茨与意大利总理乔治娅·梅洛尼签署了一份全面的德意“战略合作行动计划议定书”，该议定书承诺两国将“通过弥合能力差距和加强北约欧洲支柱，紧急且共同地实现欧洲防务准备”。双方将在一体化防空和导弹防御、无人系统、海军舰艇、电子战以及可能的通用陆战平台等领域开展合作。

与此同时，柏林正在加深与东方的联系：梅尔茨在 11 月宣布，德国和波兰正在起草一项新的防务政策协议，该协议将于 2026 年签署；德国联邦国防军已经增加了与波兰军队的联合演习，并扩大了在无人机探测和清除方面的合作。

这项倡议出台之际，德国自身也正经历着历史性的军事建设。柏林2026年的预算为联邦国防军拨款826.9亿欧元（989.2亿美元），此外，还有一个特别国防基金拨款255亿欧元（305亿美元），梅尔茨正努力实现他提出的目标，即让德国成为“欧洲最强大的常规军队”。

1月22日，在达沃斯世界经济论坛上，梅尔茨重申了德国将国防开支提高到GDP 5%的计划，称这是“巨大的增长”，是维护欧洲主权所必需的。

所有这一切都发生在欧盟传统增长引擎——法德关系紧张的大背景下，而这种紧张关系的出现是由于旨在设计欧洲下一代战斗机的未来作战空中系统项目陷入僵局，以及欧盟27个成员国之间一致同意规则对欧盟集体行动构成的挑战。

林努斯·霍勒是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者和开源情报调查员。他报道影响欧洲乃至全球的军火交易、制裁和地缘政治。他拥有大规模杀伤性武器不扩散、恐怖主义研究和国际关系三个硕士学位，并精通英语、德语、俄语和西班牙语四种语言。