Costa’s visit to Leonardo: “Great example of a company investing to strengthen our common security”

Brussels – “Leonardo is an excellent example of how a company that invests in innovation can provide products and services that strengthen our common security,” European Council President Antonio Costa said after a visit to the Leonardo company’s Tuscan facilities.

“Security is not only defence, but also protection from extreme weather events such as floods and fires. And what Leonardo is doing here in the fields of electronics, cyber security, and space,” Costa continued, “are good examples of dual-use technologies that are very important for increasing productivity in agriculture, defending against a missile attack or guiding a missile so that it hits the target accurately, avoiding collateral damage.

The Portuguese politician pointed out that “when we say that investing in defence also means investing in our economy, investing in innovation, in quality jobs, Leonardo is a very good example. They are not the only ones in Europe, but of course, this is one of the best examples in Europe.”

“And this is also important for policymakers,” Costa cautioned, “who must listen to people on the ground. Listen to mayors, to leaders in the regions, but also to businesses to better design our policy.”

According to the president of the European Council, “we have to design this effort to increase our defence spending in a way that strikes a good balance between competition and increased efficiency, aggregating demand, through joint procurement and, of course, producing equipment with common standards and interoperability. And of course, while it’s true that competition increases innovation, on the other hand, we have to have a moment to focus on centralising our demand to be more efficient.”

The message closes with an invitation “to always be present in the political decision-making process, because it is very important to listen to you and also encourage you to cooperate and create more synergy at the European level.”