Defence at all costs?

The EU may be a peace project, but since Russia's invasion of Ukraine the measures taken to secure this peace have shifted from diplomacy to military might.
In doing so, defence spending has been shoved into the spotlight, to the point that it has now surpassed agriculture as the bloc's budget priority. But beyond the auspices of the EU, NATO has upped the ante significantly, driving for a huge leap in spending to 5% of GDP. Several member countries (only four EU members are not also NATO) have barely scraped over the 2% threshold, agreed in 2014.
To complicate matters, the 5% figure is composed of 3.5% on "hard defence" capabilities – think weapons, training and troop salaries – and an additional 1.5%, which can be used for "defence-related" items.
This accounting flexibility could be put towards key infrastructure or cybersecurity that would protect civil society. But it is also being exploited as a convenient means of raising national defence spending whilst ticking off items on government to-do lists.
"Defence" has grown into a catch-all label, which could even include food and water storage, transport infrastructure, countering disinformation and security against “hybrid” issues, such as terrorism. Military aid for Ukraine also counts.
As NATO leaders – among them all EU member countries except Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, and Malta – convene in The Hague, that 1.5% is a hot topic: What will qualify for it? Will it distract from the 3.5%?

Defence dodgers? – Some reluctant military spenders in NATO have used an expansive definition when tallying their defence spending for the current 2% of GDP target, counting money spent on things like research and development, intelligence services or cyber defence.
Sound of speed – A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) reveals that over 20% of Europeans are exposed to harmful levels of transport noise that exceed EU thresholds.

Justice served – The judge investigating Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez’s wife has requested that the Supreme Court open a probe into Justice Minister Félix Bolaños for alleged embezzlement and false testimony.

Anti-pollution pullback – In Berlin, a move to repeal a plan limiting nitrogen water pollution could potentially rekindle a decades-long clash with the European Commission.

Simona sweeps – Simona Mohamsson, a 30-year-old political newcomer, was elected leader of Sweden’s Liberal Party at an extraordinary congress on Tuesday.

Today's issue of The Brief was brought to you by Charles Cohen.