THE DEFENCE INDUSTRY : WHAT CHALLENGES FOR THE NEW EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ?

On October 3rd, 2024, the ARES Group hosted a high-level panel discussion in Brussels to address the challenges faced by the defence industry in light of the new European Parliament. This discussion took place in the context of an increasingly unstable international environment related to, especially, the war in Ukraine and Gaza. Defence has, therefore, evidently emerged as a key priority for EU Member States. A range of initiatives—such as the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement Act (EDIRPA), the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), the European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP), the European Peace Facility (EPF), and the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS)—have already been established or are under consideration to support the European defence sector and strengthen the European Union’s (EU) defence capabilities.