European aerospace, security and defence industry welcomes approval of new EU Commission

The European Parliament, at its plenary session in Strasbourg, approved today the entire College of new European Commissioners. Now, the new EU Commission can officially start its five-year term on 1 December 2024.

At this occasion, Jan Pie, Secretary-General of ASD commented as follows:

“We welcome today’s vote of the European Parliament in favour of the new College of EU Commissioners. With this, industry stakeholders have clarity regarding who will put upcoming and ongoing EU initiatives into practice that aim at bolstering Europe’s defence capabilities and strengthening industrial competitiveness. Among others, our industry will be looking forward to the new Commission implementing a clear regulatory burden reduction target to simplify and remove overlap and inconsistencies of existing and new regulations.

With regards to defence, it is clear that Europe must spend more, and we must spend better. The EU Commission can play a crucial role in supporting Member States in this endeavour. We need concrete action, and we need it now, i.e. already before the next Multiannual Financial Framework. It is high time that the EU’s financial priorities reflect the critical importance of the European defence industry for our security. This should also be stressed in the upcoming White Paper on the Future of European Defence.

While the European civil aeronautics industry has steadily continued its post-pandemic recovery since 2020, the journey is far from smooth. Supply chain disruptions, shortages of critical raw materials, and rising energy costs continue to impact production and delivery schedules. At the same time, global competition is intensifying. The new EU Commission, in collaboration with Member States, has to respond decisively. The entire aviation ecosystem must be included in the forthcoming Clean Industrial Deal because the sector is crucial to Europe’s resilience and competitiveness, and it is integral to Europe’s climate and sustainability goals.

Finally, Europe’s space industry is developing solutions to support the EU’s ambitions. However, it will need strong backing from the new Commission to deal with paradigm changes in commercial applications and the structural decrease of its key revenue markets.”