Failing to heed the lessons of past wars is a surefire recipe for future conflicts. While it is too early to draw all the relevant lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine, some are readily apparent. Ignoring them will leave Europe vulnerable for years to come.
The first and most important lesson is that European countries must respond much faster to emerging military crises. Just as police cars, firefighters and ambulances use sirens to signal urgency — knowing that the speed with which they reach the scene can determine whether lives are saved or lost — governments and institutions need their own administrative “sirens” to ensure timely and effective responses.
The war in Ukraine has underscored the urgent need for the European Union, its member states and institutions like the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Council of Europe Development Bank to establish processes for fast-tracking infrastructure and, when relevant, defense spending. When Russia bombs Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure, for example, or when the bulk of Ukrainian trade is redirected from sea lanes to land routes, the EU and other international partners must be able to respond quickly by building cross-border electricity lines and reinforcing other critical infrastructure, such as bridges or border crossings across Central Europe. It must also accelerate the construction of EU-compatible rail systems across the Baltic states, which still use Soviet track gauge.
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