5% of GDP for Defence and the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East

On 25 June, Ioannis Alexandris (Research Fellow, South-East Europe Programme – ELIAMEP; Research Associate, think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration) was a guest on Euronews Greece’s political affairs show “Brussels, I love you?”, hosted by Maria Psara. The panel also featured Professor and MEP Nikolas Farantouris and Anna Zachariadou, defence analyst, in a discussion spanning defence, geopolitics, and transatlantic relations. Ioannis Alexandris spoke on the occasion of the publication of the latest think nea thematic report titled “Europe’s Overlooked Allies: Why the Western Balkans Matter for EU Defence Readiness” (co-authored by Dr. Ana Krstinovska and Dr. Alessandro Marrone and supported by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans) which explores the strategic importance of the Western Balkans in the context of the EU’s pursuit of strategic autonomy and enhanced defence readiness while underscoring the argument that Western Balkan countries, despite not yet being EU member states, they have increasingly proven their value as security contributors and partners.

The programme focused on three key issues: NATO’s new 5% defence spending target and what increased defence spending means for Europe’s fiscal priorities, Donald Trump’s high-risk strategy in the Middle East and its geopolitical effects, and the deepening of EU–Canada relations.

In the segment on NATO and EU defence, Ioannis highlighted the political and economic trade-offs behind the new defence commitments, noting that structural constraints could fuel domestic backlash and populism. He also pointed to the need for broader European resilience through external and regional partnerships, including with the Western Balkans.

You can watch the full discussion here.

You can read the new think nea thematic report “Europe’s Overlooked Allies: Why the Western Balkans Matter for EU Defence Readiness” here.