Sovereignty

The 21st century has already seen powershifts that affect Europe’s sovereignty politically, economically, and technologically. The digital revolution has only just begun, and its ramifications are difficult to assess today. In the face of uncertainty, the challenge for Europe and our industries is to reduce critical dependencies, avoid vulnerabilities, diversify options along supply chains, and build up an appropriate level of European control wherever possible.

This endeavour is most urgent in the defence sector, where years of underinvestment have resulted in a shrinking of the European defence technological and industrial base.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has laid bare the consequences of drastically reduced stockpiled and production capacities, and rocked to its core the assumption that a full-scale land war in Europe has become unthinkable. Ramping up production capacities will require significant investment and efforts from both private companies and the public sector. This has triggered numerous defence-related initiatives at the European level, which ASD is following closely.