Defence Meets Industry as Commission Pushes Security Agenda

European Commissioner Andrius Kubilius addressed business leaders at a BusinessEurope event in Brussels on 23 September 2026, urging the private sector to place security and defence at the heart of Europe's industrial strategy. Speaking at the conference titled 'Security, Resilience and Competitiveness: Europe's Industrial Agenda for a New Geopolitical Era,' Kubilius thanked business representatives for placing continental defence on their corporate agendas and stressed the need for closer alignment between EU security priorities and manufacturing capacity.

For citizens and businesses across Europe, the effort to link industrial policy directly to defence readiness reflects a fundamental shift in the European Union's economic priorities. Historically, the EU focused its industrial agenda on market integration and trade policy, leaving military procurement strictly to national capitals. Bringing defence into the broader industrial framework aims to strengthen continental supply chains and boost manufacturing resilience, though it also requires reconciling commercial competitiveness with strategic security needs.

In Brussels, aligning corporate interests with EU strategy is a delicate dance. BusinessEurope—the primary federation representing employers across the bloc—serves as the key conduit between corporate boardrooms and the Berlaymont, the Commission's headquarters. By addressing business leaders directly, the Commission is attempting to forge an industrial alliance before navigating the EU's legislative machinery. Defence remains one of the most jealously guarded competences of the 27 member states, meaning any effort to coordinate industrial defense strategy must delicately respect national sovereignty while persuading governments that joint European action yields more than fragmented national purchasing.

The Commission is expected to continue engaging with industrial stakeholders to refine its defense and competitiveness policy frameworks. Any concrete policy measures will eventually require scrutiny from the European Parliament and agreement among member state governments in the Council of the European Union.