Roadmap for European Defence Readiness - Related Opinions

Key points

The EESC:

Confronted with increasing instability, increased strategic competition and growing security threats, the EU committed to taking greater responsibility for its security and to taking further decisive action to build open European sovereignty, reduce its dependencies and develop a new growth and investment model for 2030 and beyond. 

On 27 February 2024, the European Commission published a Communication setting out a European strategy to ensure industrial leadership in advanced materials. Advanced materials are an important factor for the competitiveness of European industries and constitute crucial building blocks for the EU’s resilience and strategic autonomy. The EESC will provide input to the European Commission on how to create a dynamic, secure and inclusive ecosystem for advanced materials in Europe that ensures our continent's leadership in this area and supports the competitiveness of EU industries.

EDIS is a joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative that sets a vision for the European defence industrial policy until 2035.

The EESC welcomes this Commission initiative and the CCMI study group members will examine how the European Defence Industrial Strategy can strengthen the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) and achieve defence industrial readiness. Furthermore, this opinion will assess the necessary steps for the successful implementation of this strategy.

This own-initiative opinion using the drone manufacturing industry as a case study will seek to examine the different policies in place to enhance European strategic autonomy and develop synergies between defence and civilian sector, in areas of great social interest such as civil protection, assessment of disasters and quick response of local authorities, traffic monitoring and others. It is important for civil society and stakeholders to mobilise resources and create new added values in the defense sector in such a manner that will maximise security outcome, by motivating industry to cover its own demand, produce appropriate and modern tools of deterrence and transform these at periods of lower turbulence towards civil protection activities.

The European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP) regulation will serve as the anchor for future joint development and procurement projects of high common interest to the security of the Member States and the Union.

The EC Communication with title "Towards a more resilient, competitive and sustainable Europe" summarises what has been achieved to promote and build a more resilient, competitive and sustainable economy, protect EU citizens and guarantee their well-being.

In its opinion, the EESC wishes to put forward its views on the Communication, adopted in connection with the Granada summit, so that its position can be taken into account during preparations for the next European legislative mandate. Given the range of issues addressed in the Communication, the opinion is focussing on four key sectors for the future of European strategic autonomy: the energy sector, the digital sector, the defence sector and the space sector. In its opinion, the EESC makes concrete proposals to highlight the need for a European economic and political power.

In a geopolitical context of increasing power competition and intensification of threats to the EU and its Member States, EU leaders have identified space as a strategic domain in the Strategic Compass and have called for an EU Space Strategy for security and defence. The European Commission presented on 10 March such strategy aiming to enhancing the resilience and protection of space systems and services in the EU, responding to space threats, enhancing the use of space for security and defence and partnering for responsible behaviours in outer space.

The preparatory meeting between the rapporteur, the corapporteur and the president of the study group is scheduled for 31 March. The first study group meeting and an expert hearing are scheduled for 3 May and the second study group meeting on 31 May. The document will go to CCMI meeting on 22 June and to EESC plenary on 12-13 July.

EU Heads of State or Government, meeting in Versailles on 11 March, committed to “bolster European defence capabilities” in light of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine. They agreed to: 1) increase defence expenditures; 2) step up cooperation through joint projects; 3) close shortfalls and meet capability objectives; 4) boost innovation including through civil/military synergies; and 5) strengthen and develop our defence industry, including SMEs. Moreover, they invited “the Commission, in coordination with the European Defence Agency, to put forward an analysis of the defence investment gaps by mid-May and to propose any further initiative necessary to strengthen the European defence industrial and technological base.” The tasking was also integrated in the Strategic Compass on Security and Defence adopted by the Council and endorsed by the European Council in March 2022.

On 19 July, the Commission has adopted a proposal for a Regulation by the European Parliament and the Council establishing the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) for 2022-2024.

Semiconductor chips are the essential building blocks of digital and digitised products. From smartphones and cars, through critical applications and infrastructures for healthcare, energy, mobility, communications and industrial automation, chips are central to the modern digital economy. They determine performance characteristics of digital systems, among them security and energy-efficiency – essential to the EU’s digital and green transitions. They are also crucial to key digital technologies of the future, including artificial intelligence (AI), 5G and edge computing, as set out in the EU’s 2030 Digital Decade.  Put simply, there is no “digital” without chips.

On 22 February 2021, the European Commission (EC) presented an Action Plan on Synergies between civil, defence and space industries (COM(2021) 70 final) to further enhance Europe's technological edge and support its industrial base.