Euractiv op-ed by ASD President & Sec Gen on why Europe must prepare to defend itself

ASD President Guillaume Faury and Secretary General Jan Pie co-authored an op-ed published today in Euractiv, titled “Europe must prepare to defend itself before it’s too late”. They call for urgent action to strengthen Europe's defence capabilities, and emphasise the need for increased defence spending and long-term investment planning to ensure Europe's security and autonomy in the face of growing threats.

In the op-ed, Guillaume Faury and Jan Pie highlight the consequences of underinvestment: "For decades, we reaped the benefits of the so-called 'peace dividend,' neglecting investment in defence. As a result, it has left us unprepared for a sustained military challenge." They argue that despite recent efforts to ramp up production, Europe still lags behind the output capabilities of Russia's war economy.

Guillaume Faury and Jan Pie call for higher defence spending, stressing that "European nations routinely spent over 3% of GDP on defence during the Cold War. Today, this level of investment is not a luxury, it’s a necessity." They advocate prioritising European-made defence products to ensure strategic independence, stating that "relying on external suppliers in times of crisis weakens our security of supply and our ability to respond effectively to threats."

Faury and Pie also urge the EU and Member States to take bold, coordinated action to support the European defence industry, noting, "The EU’s recent Defence Industrial Strategy is a step in the right direction, but it must be backed by real, substantial commitments." They call for an ambitious defence budget under the next Multiannual Financial Framework and emphasise the need for long-term planning to guide industry investments and build necessary capacities.

The full op-ed is available via Euractiv, where Faury and Pie underscore that Europe "must spend more, collaborate more, and ensure that its defence sector can meet the demands of the dangerous world we face."