Brussels seeks to create single market for European defence

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Brussels seeks to create single market for European defence   Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to create a genuine single market for European defence products and services. How feasible is this idea and what would be the benefits for companies in the sector?  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/20/brussels-seeks-to-create-single-market-for-european-defence  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00The European Commission wants to create a single defence market, as outlined in its

00:10new white paper on arming the EU by 2030. Right now, the market is divided with five

00:17leading countries, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden, causing a situation that

00:23leads to uncoordinated manufacturing and supply chains.

00:27We are producing very many very expensive products, but in the small numbers and what

00:34we need is that the market is able to provide necessary numbers of ammunition, missiles

00:43and different defence equipment and that the countries can consolidate themselves together

00:52and buy together and we need to give the opportunity for the small and medium-sized

00:57enterprises to operate on the market.

01:02Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU has quadrupled its military production. But the Commission

01:09wants better coordination. It says key areas need strengthening, like air and missile defence,

01:15artillery, munitions, drones and military transport. To cut costs and improve efficiency,

01:21the Commission suggests buying equipment together.

01:26Today the Germans buy Germans, the Spanish buy Spanish, the French, of course, only French

01:34equipment. We need to open the tenders of the countries to other nations' companies

01:40as well. It needs to give the possibility to the small countries to be integrated part

01:47of that all.

01:48The Commission also wants the EU to rely less on American military equipment. It suggests

01:54buying more from European producers to strengthen the local industry. But this will take long-term

02:00political commitment.

02:01The question is, will the member states, who clearly are spooked by the international geopolitical

02:07situation, will they now really put the money there in a sustained effort? And if there

02:13were to be a ceasefire in Ukraine, would they sit back and say, OK, panic over? Or would

02:18they really go ahead? Because I think that's the fundamental question. We need European

02:24defence and it takes a decade of effort, a decade of spending to get there.

02:31To fund this effort, the Commission reaffirmed its rearmament plan, which should enable 800

02:37billion euros to be spent.

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