The European defense industry has several problems, and one of them is market fragmentation. Different countries have their own tanks and artillery, they are not unified. To speed up and reduce the cost of production, some parts should be brought to a single standard.
This was stated by European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius in an interview with Babel.
"Our defense industries are very fragmented. We also purchase a lot of weapons outside the EU, and this does not strengthen the European industry," Kubilius noted.
The European Commissioner notes that the EU should encourage member states to spend their defense budgets on so-called joint procurement — for example, on the purchase of a large number of tanks of the same type. That is, if several countries collectively need 1,200 tanks, it is better to purchase them from a single manufacturer.
This will improve interoperability and the implementation of NATO standards. The European Parliament is currently discussing several programs aimed at this, such as the European Defence Industrialisation Programme (EDIP).
Kubilius notes that some points are still difficult to regulate legally — for example, how to make one plant produce parts for another manufacturerʼs tank, abandoning its own technologies.
"If we manage to convince EU countries that purchasing many tanks of the same type is in their interests, then manufacturers, for example, of the Leopard tank, will look for someone who can produce additional quantities of this equipment. One manufacturer will not be able to produce the required number of tanks quickly," the European Commissioner notes.
According to Kubilius, Ukraine is showing Europe an example of how to develop a defense industry. He is convinced that European weapons production should be increased, since "in three months" Russia is able to produce more weapons than all NATO member states, including the United States, Great Britain and Europe, are able to produce in a year.
- In early March 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a new EU defense plan. It envisages mobilizing €800 billion to strengthen the bloc’s military capabilities. EU leaders have already endorsed the plan.
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