European Commission urges massive expansion of EU defence production

The European Commission is calling on European Union member states to dramatically increase defence manufacturing capacity, with a target of boosting production up to 50 times current levels.

Speaking at a defence forum in Madrid, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said that Europe’s ambitions in military production should match what he described as Ukraine’s rapid expansion of its own defence output, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

Kubilius stated that Ukraine had increased its military production fiftyfold and argued that European countries should pursue a comparable scale of growth. He said this would require the construction of new factories, the deployment of advanced equipment and the recruitment of skilled workers to significantly expand weapons manufacturing.

According to the commissioner, achieving such an increase would depend on EU governments providing the defence industry with long-term and stable demand. He maintained that sustained procurement commitments are essential not only to give companies confidence to invest, but also to support peace in Europe.

Kubilius also urged EU member states to adopt legislation mandating the maintenance of substantial military stockpiles. Such measures, he suggested, would ensure that defence companies can rely on predictable demand and secure returns on investment as production capacity scales up across the bloc.