by Antonello Pezzini, delegate of the EESC Consultative Committee on Industrial Change and former member of the EESC Employers’ Group

Last January, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton reiterated the need to consolidate an internal defence market to ensure our security. ‘We started with munitions for Ukraine’, he stated. ‘We now need to broaden this approach to include a large-scale European defence industrial programme capable of supporting the expansion of the European industrial base and developing the infrastructure needed to protect contested areas’.

The EESC has had the opportunity to reiterate on numerous occasions the need to support the launch of a European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) aimed at creating an interoperable and integrated common defence system.

This objective is all the more urgent given the current geopolitical situation, which urges us to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy in defence and develop a solid common industrial and technological base.

The EDIDP should be framed by a common strategic vision for the defence industry that can move towards the effective integration of European manufacturers and users, involving at least three Member States.

There is an emerging and growing need for structured dialogue at European level, in synergy and coordination with NATO, and a council of defence ministers that can provide ongoing political leadership and a forum for consultation and the adoption of genuinely European decisions.

The statutory provisions must ensure: a balance between large and small countries; that 20 % of participating businesses are smaller businesses; training for skilled staff and new job profiles; and retraining for staff whose skills have become redundant or obsolete.

Now is the time to expand and strengthen this approach to include a large-scale European defence industrial programme, capable of supporting the expansion of the European industrial base, by developing ‘dual-use’ items. These are items, including software and technology, which can be used for both civil and military purposes and include items that can be used for the design, development, production or use of chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery.

Read the full article by Antonello Pezzini in the EESC Employers' Group Newsletter: https://europa.eu/!yKMPTk