The war against Iran, the one in Ukraine, the rivalry between great powers and the growing use of economy and technology as instruments of power are accelerating a conversation that until a few years ago was marginal in Brussels: industrial strategic autonomy in defense.
This change became evident at the last Munich Security Conference, where political, military, and industrial leaders agreed on a common diagnosis: Europe must assume a much more active role in its own security.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, summarized it clearly by stating that mutual defense in the European Union “is not optional, but an obligation”.
Brussels wants half of the weaponry to be manufactured in Europe
The European Commission has already begun to translate that political change into concrete measures.
The European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP) seek to strengthen the technological and industrial base of European defense and reduce dependence on external suppliers.
Among the objectives set for 2030 stand out:
- That at least 50% of military acquisitions are made within the EU
- That defense trade between European countries reaches 35% of the market
The strategy is also supported by the European Defence Fund (EDF), which has close to 8 billion euros until 2027 to finance critical technologies.
The true challenge: transform spending into industry
Defense spending in the EU is growing rapidly. According to the European Defence Agency, member states reached 343 billion euros in military spending in 2024, and forecasts point to 381 billion in 2025, around 2.1% of European GDP.
However, the true challenge is not only to increase spending, but to transform it into its own industrial capacity.
Modern defense increasingly depends on advanced technologies:
- Sensors and radars
- Secure communications
- Space systems
- Artificial intelligence
- Unmanned platforms
- Electronic warfare
All these capabilities depend on semiconductors and advanced photonic technologies.
The technological battle: semiconductors and photonics
In this context, Brussels has placed semiconductors at the center of its industrial strategy.
The European Chips Act, approved in 2023, sets an ambitious goal: to reach 20% of global chip production by 2030.
Today Europe is below 10%, while more than 75% of advanced manufacturing is concentrated in Asia.
Among the technologies considered critical stand out:
- Integrated photonics
- Compound semiconductors
- Materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) or indium phosphide (InP)
These technologies are fundamental for radars, secure communications, military sensors, or space systems.
Industry, defense and technological sovereignty
The conclusion that is imposed in Brussels is increasingly clear: industrial policy and defense policy are already part of the same strategic axis. Europe maintains a strong research capacity, but the step towards large-scale industrial production continues to be one of its weaknesses.
Closing that gap between laboratory and factory has become a priority. In that context, European industrial projects focused on critical technologies, such as semiconductor foundries or photonic production platforms, are beginning to be seen not only as industrial initiatives, but as strategic assets for the security of the continent.
To manufacture in Europe what Europe needs to defend itself, increasingly political and industrial leaders agree, is no longer just an economic ambition, but a condition for European strategic autonomy.