Kubilius: “Integrated defence market needed, EU strategy in 2026”

Brussels – The time for waiting is over. “We must have an integrated market” for defence, and the Commissioner responsible for Defence himself, Andrius Kubilius, chooses the annual conference organised by the defence industry to relaunch what is now a political priority for the entire Commission and a personal goal of his own. “Division is our main weakness, fragmentation is our biggest obstacle,” he laments. Conversely, “unity is our path to success.” 

Of course, he admits, “it will take time to solve” a problem that has dragged on for decades. “It will take time to have the best solution” to this European defence fragmentation, which is why there is a desire to speed things up. “Next year we will present the proposal for an all-European, integrated defence market” capable of developing answers to the growing demand for security and competitiveness. 

Kubilius does not go into detail or offer any previews. However, he assures readiness and willingness to ground an agenda of cooperation with the business world. ASD Europe, the producers’ association of which Saab, Leonardo, and Rolls-Royce, among others, are members, makes it clear: “Industry produces, the EU supports.” A motto that sums up the political agenda of the second von der Leyen commission. In Brussels, they mean business: “Fragmentation, as the Draghi report also points out, is an obstacle for defence,” insists Kubilius. “It is a real problem. 

While waiting for the final answer on the European limits, Kubilius charts a course that puts European companies at the centre of political action. “When we talk about our industry, about European industry, we have to keep in mind that our industry is the main element of our defence.” Hence, there is a need to support and invest in an increasingly strategic industry, and the EU executive intends to proceed in this direction.