A “European preference” in EU defence procurement is necessary and should not be seen as protectionism, Saab President and Chief Executive Micael Johansson told the European Defence Agency Annual Conference on Tuesday. He argued that Europe needs greater control over its defence capabilities and supply chains as the transatlantic relationship faces strain.
In a series of roundtables at EDA’s 2026 conference, industry, military and government representatives, as well as a delegation from Ukraine, spoke on shared strengths, cooperation and the future of warfare in Europe.
“European preference (in procurement) is about capabilities, not about protectionism,” Saab’s Johansson said, adding that Europe needed the ability to upgrade and sustain its systems without excessive reliance on fragile or critical supply chains outside the region.
Johansson also said that if the EU was serious about advancing defence integration — including through a competitive fund under the bloc’s long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework — new decision-making mechanisms would be unavoidable.
“We all agree on the objectives and ambitions, but the elephant in the room is still governance, structure and mandate,” he said, adding that national sovereignty continued to dominate defence policy and complicate collective action at EU level.
Major General Hanke Bruins Slot, the National Capability Director of the Netherlands, warned of potential turf wars if too many proposals to improve European defence cooperation were put forward, calling for decisive action from EU institutions.
“Readiness relies on the ability to take decisions,” Bruins Slot told the conference.
Russian posture is warning to Europe
Hanna Hvozdiar, an advisor to Ukraine’s Minister of Defence brought a sense of urgency to the conference, also reminding panelists of the cold and dark that Ukrainians face as Russia shells its cities. “The Russians are now scaling production, scaling training and scaling the quantity of unmanned systems. This is a signal for us, for NATO,” she said.
Calls for longer-term planning were echoed by industry representatives.
Jan Grabowski, vice-president of the management board at Poland’s state-owned defence group PGZ, said Europe needed to focus on funding and planning amid shifting geopolitical pressures. “One week it’s Greenland, next week it might be something else,” Grabowski said of changing U.S. policy.
Camille Grand, secretary general of the European Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association (ASD), urged EU member states to move away from short-term political debates and think longer term, European terms.
“If you haven’t made a decision today, you’re already missing future deliveries,” Grand said. “If you are not thinking in European terms, you are losing out.”