ASD Policy Recommendations 2024-29

With the EU elections slated for June, determining the composition of the European Parliament for the next five years, and the new European Commission expected to commence its term in the last quarter of 2024, Europe stands at a critical juncture as it is facing the challenges of the green and digital transitions as well as a dramatically deteriorated security landscape. Its response to these challenges will shape our industry for decades to come.

Representing over 4,000 companies, accounting for 98% of the industry's total turnover and 92% of its employment across Europe, ASD delineated actionable policy directives aimed at fostering a competitive business environment while harnessing the industries' potential for the good of our societies.

ASD's recommendations are structured to address the unique needs of four interrelated industries, which together form a cohesive industrial ecosystem:

In the defence sector, the EU should focus on enhancing industry’s capacity to deliver in time and quantity the equipment that is needed, strengthening technological excellence, ensuring appropriate funding and access to finance, and guaranteeing coherence across EU policies.

The security industry would benefit from a facilitated market uptake via a capability-driven approach, the promotion of synergies between technologies and EU programmes and the development of a genuine EU security industrial policy.

In civil aeronautics, policies should strive towards supporting the European aviation industry to become greener and at the same time maintain its competitive at a global level – this requires a robust partnership between industry and regulators to deliver on global and European sustainable aviation roadmaps with continued funding for Research & Development (through Clean Aviation, SESAR and others), efficient certification procedures based on a properly resourced European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the creation of a Digital European Sky through deployment of SESAR technologies while supporting emerging concepts such as Urban Air Mobility.

Space is key for the EU’s freedom of action and autonomous decision-making. To foster a vibrant and innovative European space industry, the next political cycle should ensure that the EU budget for space reflects the increased ambitions of the EU, set up a coherent European-wide space industrial policy, enforce swift policy implementation of the Space Strategy for Security & Defence and enhance space security and resilience.