Von der Leyen praises European space consortium, which includes Leonardo: “The industrial champions we need”

Brussels – The space race has already begun, and the EU can play a leading role by building on existing industrial strengths, with Italy at the forefront. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has strongly reaffirmed the common strategy for the space economy while in Paris. The International Space Summit becomes the forum that calls for courage and renews an ongoing political dialogue. The European Commission is facilitating the major industrial groups, and businesses must rise to the challenge. 

“The global space economy is expected to almost triple by 2035 – from around USD630 billion today to around USD1.8 trillion,” von der Leyen said in her speech. In this context of industrial expansion for the sector, as the European Union, “the opportunity in front of us is enormous.” She says this knowing that “Europe begins from a position of strength. We have cutting-edge technologies, world-leading talent, and a strong space industrial base.” 

All the ingredients are therefore in place for a success story, which the President of the Executive encourages. Because, she warns, “strength today is no guarantee of leadership tomorrow.” Therefore, “to remain at the forefront, Europe must act together, invest at scale, and turn our market into a competitive advantage.”

 https://www.eunews.it/en/2025/06/11/satellites-space-defense-the-eu-steps-up-efforts-for-a-common-space-strategy-amid-ambitions-and-obstacles/

In this context, the European Commission has not stood idly by. Concerning space and space policy, “we have proposed updated Merger Guidelines – so that they recognise that European companies need scale to invest and compete globally,” she said. Indeed, she stressed, “this is precisely what Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo are trying to achieve with their proposed joint venture called Bromo.” Von der Leyen has no doubts: “These are the types of industrial champions we need if Europe is to lead in the space economy of tomorrow,” she noted, praising the initiative for a major European champion with Italy at its heart.

In today’s world, “our companies are no longer competing primarily at a national or European scale. They are competing with companies on a global level,” von der Leyen noted, who is convinced that “our policies must reflect that reality.” And the new European reality, with Leonardo playing an active role, therefore takes on strategic importance.