Kubilius urges MEPs to fast-track defence procedures, warns production remains too slow

EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius on Wednesday called for European institutions and companies to go much faster, warning that decision-making and weapons production remain too slow.

Speaking to the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE), Kubilius, for instance, urged the co-legislators to quickly strike an agreement on the €115 million Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation (AGILE) programme he proposed last month to support projects from startups.

“In my view, it qualifies for a fast-track procedure,” he said, arguing that this would allow the instrument to be tested before the current multi-annual budget runs out at the end of 2027.

The urgent procedure is used to give priority to certain texts in Parliament, skipping legislative steps for swift adoption. It was recently triggered to approve the €90 billion loan to support Ukraine’s finances.

Kubilius also called on the European Parliament and Council to reach an agreement on the three files of the Defence Readiness package, saying he hoped a deal can be found “in the coming weeks.”

“Putin will not wait for us to finish the last trilogue to test us,” Kubilius told MEPs, referring to the Russian leader.

Pekka Toveri (EPP), one of the rapporteurs on the omnibus for intra-EU transfers of defence-related products, however shifted the blame to the Commission and the Council, which he said were “refusing to move” closer to a compromise.

Negotiations over the €1.5 billion European Defence Programme – creating a blueprint for joint EU defence production and procurement – dragged on for over a year in the Council before interinstitutional talks could even start last summer, with a deal reached last October.

Production still lagging

The Commissioner also noted that while production in Europe is picking up due to increased defence budgets, it is nowhere near enough to outpace Russia’s war economy and cut the reliance on key US equipment.

“We need to learn how to make massive and much cheaper, good enough, production,” he said, adding European companies are instead focusing on state-of-the-art equipment – which he compared to “haute couture.”

European defence companies, he said, should learn from their Ukrainian counterparts: “I am depressed by our slow rate of production. But I am absolutely amazed by how Ukrainians are building their production.”

Since the start of the war, Ukraine has increased its production of missiles to ward off Russian strikes, on top of pioneering cheap drone production.

Ukraine’s industry is also developing cheaper solutions to compete with European and US missile manufacturers.

Ukraine-based Fire Point, which manufactures Flamingo cruise missiles, said it is in talks with European companies to develop a new air defence system as a low-cost alternative to the US Patriot missile defence system.

Concerns have risen around the declining supply of Patriot missiles since the US deployment of the systems in the Middle East to counter Iranian strikes. The war in Iran has also exposed Europe’s gap in long-range capabilities.

(at, aw)