A Comparative Analysis of the Direction of the European and the American Defence Industry Strategies
Copyright (c) 2025 Hajling Dóra

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Abstract
The author analyses the main aspirations of the European Defence Industrial Strategy, published by the European Commission in 2024, primarily from the perspective of the extent to which it follows the defence industrial ambitions set out by the United States, to be implemented within its own alliance system. The aim is to examine how the European strategy can contribute to the strengthening of a truly independent European defence industry and thus to the European strategic autonomy.
Keywords:
References
AmChamEU (2024): Recommendations to the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Online: https://www.amchameu.eu/sites/default/files/publications/files/20240702_presidency_recommendations_hungary_2024.pdf
BROGGER, Tine Elisabeth (2025): A ’Europe of Defence?’ The Establishment of Binding Commitments and Supranational Governance in European Security and Defence. Journal of European Integration, 47(3), 403–422. Online: https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2024.2379421
Club Défense de l’Aege (2024): European Skyshield, une défense aérienne de l’Europe américaine. Online: https://www.portail-ie.fr/univers/defense-industrie-de-larmement-et-renseignement/2024/european-skyshield-une-defense-aerienne-de-leurope-americaine/
European Commission (2024): Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Defence Industry Programme and a framework of measures to ensure the timely availability and supply of defence products. Brüsszel, 2024. március 5. Online: https://bit.ly/3TF6HIY
Európai Bizottság – Európai Külügyi Szolgálat (2024): Közös közlemény az Európai Parlamentnek, a Tanácsnak, az Európai Gazdasági és Szociális Bizottságnak és a Régiók Bizottságának: Új európai védelmi ipari stratégia: a védelmi készültség elérése egy reagálóképesebb és reziliensebb európai védelmi iparral. Brüsszel, 2024. március 5. Online: https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/document/download/b33042ee-bb46-4a96-8af1-fb61fdc4a199_en?filename=JOIN_2024_10_1_HU_ACT_part1_v2.pdf
FABBRINI, Sergio – PUETTER, Uwe (2016): Integration without Supranationalisation: Studying the Lead Roles of the European Council and the Council in Post-lisbon EU Politics. Journal of European Integration, 38(5), 481–495. Online: https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2016.1178254
FIOTT, Daniel (2023): In Every Crisis an Opportunity? European Union Integration in Defence and the War on Ukraine. Journal of European Integration, 45(3), 447–462. Online: https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2023.2183395
HAKANSSON, Calle (2024): The Ukraine War and the Emergence of the European Commission as a Geopolitical Actor. Journal of European Integration, 46(1), 25–45. Online: https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2023.2239998
HAROCHE, Pierre (2020): Supranationalism Strikes Back: A Neofunctionalist Account of the European Defence Fund. Journal of European Public Policy, 27(6), 853–872. Online: https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2019.1609570
Industrial Base Policy (2024): Security of Supply. Online: https://www.businessdefense.gov/security-of-supply.html
JONES, Marc (2025): Trump’s NATO Spending Demands Could Hit Europe’s Credit Ratings, Says S&P Global. Reuters, 2025. február 14. Online: https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/trumps-nato-spending-demands-could-hit-europes-credit-ratings-says-sp-global-2025-02-14/
LETTA, Enrico (2024): Much More than a Market. Online: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/ny3j24sm/much-more-than-a-market-report-by-enrico-letta.pdf
MAULNY, Jean-Pierre (2025): Retour de Donald Trump à Washington: le grand test pour l’industrie de défense européenne? Online: https://www.iris-france.org/retour-de-donald-trump-a-washington-le-grand-test-pour-lindustrie-de-defense-europeenne/
MAULNY, Jean-Pierre (2023): The Impact of the War in Ukraine on the European Defence Market. Online: https://www.iris-france.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/19_ProgEuropeIndusDef_JPMaulny.pdf
NATO (2024a): Industrial Capacity Expansion Pledge. Online: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_227504.htm
NATO (2024b): NATO’s Role in Defence Industry Production. Online: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_222589.htm#plan
SABATINO, Ester (2022): The European Defence Fund: A Step Towards a Single Market for Defence? Journal of European Integration, 44(1), 133–148. Online: https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2021.2011264
U.S. Department of Defense (2023): National Defense Industrial Strategy. Online: https://www.businessdefense.gov/docs/ndis/2023-NDIS.pdf