I emphasised that security must be understood more broadly and approached as a question of preparedness, not solely in military terms. Today, Europe is spending big sums on defence, but with too little coordination. National solo efforts, fragmented markets, and protectionist industrial policies drive up costs, delay production, and weaken competition.

In recent months, the European Commission has presented a series of important initiatives, from PESCO and the Defence White Paper and ReArm Europe to EDIP. Yet member states continue to block key leadership decisions and slow down the necessary harmonisation. At the same time, transparency and parliamentary scrutiny are being eroded. National parliaments are increasingly bypassed, for example through instruments such as SAFE or the European Peace Facility. This creates a democratic grey zone that is particularly vulnerable to disinformation.

What Europe needs instead is joint procurement, stronger coordination, more consolidated markets, and genuine value creation within Europe to reduce strategic dependencies. This must be accompanied by robust democratic oversight at EU level and a responsible use of public funds. Profits are legitimate — but they must be proportionate and reinvested. Where this fails, instruments such as an excess profits tax must also be part of the discussion.

European defence requires a long-term strategic approach and no short-term fixes limited to the next five years.