The departure of the UK and the growing influence of Eastern European members are reshaping the EU's foreign policy and defense priorities by leading to a more assertive, security-focused, and geostrategic approach.

With the UK's departure, a major defense power and a historically skeptical voice on EU defense initiatives is gone, allowing for closer defense integration.

Concurrently, the rise of Eastern European members, driven by a heightened sense of security threat from Russia, has pushed the entire bloc to prioritize military readiness and a firm stance against Russian aggression.

UK's Departure and its Impact

The UK's departure, or Brexit, has been a catalyst for change in the EU's foreign and defense policy, removing both a major military contributor and a traditional brake on further integration. 

• Increased Integration: The UK was historically wary of a common European defense identity, often prioritizing NATO and its relationship with the United States. Without the UK's opposition, the EU has been able to accelerate initiatives like the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), which aim to pool resources and jointly develop military capabilities.

• Loss of Hard Power: The UK was a significant military power with a global reach. Its departure has created a void in the EU's collective hard power capabilities, forcing other member states, particularly France and Germany, to take on a greater leadership role in European defense and security.

• Strategic Autonomy: The UK's exit has intensified the debate around "strategic autonomy," a concept that aims to make the EU less reliant on the US for its security. This has encouraged the bloc to develop its own defense and foreign policy tools to better respond to crises independently.

Growing Influence of Eastern European Members

The growing influence of Eastern European EU members is fundamentally reorienting the bloc's foreign and defense policies towards a focus on continental security and the threat from Russia. 🇪🇺

• Shift in Focus to the East: The Russian invasion of Ukraine has validated the long-held security concerns of countries like Poland and the Baltic states. Their deep-seated historical experience with Russian aggression has given them a more powerful, unified voice in Brussels, which is now heavily focused on the EU's eastern neighborhood. This has led to a significant increase in military and financial aid to Ukraine.

• Emphasis on Military Preparedness: Eastern European members are at the forefront of the push for increased military spending and a more robust NATO presence on the eastern flank. Poland, in particular, is undergoing a massive rearmament, aiming to create one of Europe's largest armies, and has become a crucial logistical hub for military aid to Ukraine.

• Geopolitical Realignment: The influence of these members has pushed the EU away from a purely economic identity towards a more geopolitical one. The bloc is now more willing to use economic tools, such as sanctions and trade policy, to achieve foreign policy goals. This shift has also created a new center of political gravity within the EU, where the concerns of its eastern members are no longer sidelined by the priorities of its western counterparts.