Today, BusinessEurope has published its first paper on security and defence policy. BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson said:
“EU Member States currently spend around €343 billion on defence annually. Total spending by NATO members has increased by 41% from 2021 to 2025. This is further complemented by up to €800 billion in EU-level initiatives. Investment in security and defence should be leveraged as a vehicle to reinforce Europe’s competitiveness, industrial base, and technological edge.
While Europe’s defence ambition is accelerating, its industrial base must catch up. Urgent action is needed to accelerate industrial scaling. The EU must tackle fragmentation and continue to push for coordinated procurement processes, harmonised standards, improved access to finance – especially for SMEs – and faster alignment of R&D, production, and deployment.
Europe must also shift away from reactive crisis management to a proactive, whole-of-society preparedness and readiness model. In an integrated economy, large-scale crises have immediate cross-border spillover effects, making it essential to safeguard the continuous functioning of the Single Market, critical infrastructure, supply chains and civilian systems under all scenarios. This requires stronger coordination and a permanent, structured public-private partnership to ensure economic continuity and absorb shocks across the EU.”
Read the full paper HERE
