Currently, the matter of defense is not firmly concentrated within one EU position. The EU’s defense competencies are shared among Josep Borrell, the High Representative who heads the European Defence Agency and guides the Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, and Internal Market

Commissioner Thierry Breton. The Internal Market portfolio also includes the “Directorate-General Defence Industry and Space”.

Streamlining competencies under one dedicated Commissioner could benefit the EU’s defense aspirations. But questions remain about what such a Commissioner would actually oversee, as defense has usually been handled through the individual Member States and NATO. The new position could also focus more on the industrial sector and building-out production capacity, thereby complementing the structural components of NATO. Member States with larger defense industries, however, have raised concerns over how such proposals could impact already existing cooperation frameworks and industry competition.

This question will be positively resolved if when the new European Council officially appoints the new European Commission (consisting of its President and Commissioners), the new college of Commissioners includes a dedicated Commissioner focused on defense.