A global perspective for European Defence. Cingolani’s analysis in Corriere della Sera and Milano Finanza

08 January 2024

The current geopolitical scenario demands limiting the fragmentation of the EU Defence system and move towards continental partnerships. The articles by Paola Pica in Corriere della Sera and by Valeria Santoro in Milano Finanza explore some of the issues discussed in the Financial Times interview with Leonardo’s CEO Roberto Cingolani.

Creating European Defence champions would help reduce reliance on US technology. The most recent geopolitical developments, especially the conflict in Ukraine, have triggered a discussion about establishing partnerships between European groups in the Defence sector.

The Corriere della Sera article “European champions are needed in the Defence industry,” which picks up on some of the themes addressed in the recent interview published in the Financial Times, focuses on the broader perspective that the industry must adopt. As Roberto Cingolani points out, “If many companies invest in many different platforms, the average investment per platform will be low.”

The Milano Finanza article “EU Defence must be global” also explores this topic, highlighting the system’s fragmentation and the rules relating to competition. Against this backdrop emerges the need to look at Defence from a global perspective and to “start building a critical mass in Europe, laying the foundations for continental Defence centres.”