Ruijters (Commission): ‘The SAFE Fund must become a concrete deterrent. Industry, it’s now or never’

Brussels – “We are not ready. And we have very little time to be ready“. Herald Ruijters, Deputy Director General of the Directorate General for Defense, Industry, and Space and head of the SAFE task force, does not skirt around the issue. His message to the defense industry representatives at the European Security and Defense Summit is direct: “Now is the time to act. We have weeks, not years.”

SAFE, the EU’s new 150 billion euro financial instrument, is designed to strengthen the defense industrial base. However, Ruijters warns that it is not enough to have the funds; we need to turn them into operational capabilities quickly. “I would like to see SAFE deployed right away. Only then can we build a second SAFE. But first, we must show that we know how to work as a system.” The point, he reiterates, is operational: ‘We must think more European, harmonize systems, make joint purchases. If we remain fragmented, we miss this opportunity.”

Alongside him, Admiral Ignacio Cuartero Lorenzo of the EU Military Staff spoke of deterrence through building a high-powered force: “So far, we have built shields. Now, we also need a sword. We need to turn money into a force that inspires fear.” The dominant idea of the panel was that Europe is facing an epochal change. “Russia has a war economy; we have a peace economy. We need a change of mentality. Armies win battles, but economies win wars,” said Jan Pie, Secretary General of the Aerospace, Security and Defense Industries Association of Europe (ASD).

The Commission’s objective is clear: to launch concrete projects already in the coming months. “By July, the countries have to submit applications. Four months later, the plans must be operational. We have already identified the obstacles: now it is up to the industry to play its part,” said Ruijters. The message is all encapsulated in one word: mobilization. “SAFE is the first step. But we have to run if we want to be ready for 2030. I am ready to do this every day. Businesses must be as well,” he concluded.