Restructuring the EU's defence industrial base amid geopolitical shifts

The European Union's (EU) defence industrial base has undergone an unprecedented wave of integration. The war in Ukraine and Donald Trump's re-election have exposed the EU's long-standing structural weaknesses in meeting military needs, creating a window of opportunity for an EU-centralized defence industry. The European Commission has leveraged this moment to enhance competitiveness and promote joint procurement, laying the foundations for a genuinely EU-wide internal defence market. These initiatives aim both to address Ukraine's urgent military requirements and to bolster Europe's capacity to act independently amid transatlantic uncertainty. Yet supranational momentum clashes with entrenched Member State reluctance to cede sovereignty, constraining the Commission's integrative efforts. This article critically examines the integration of the EU defence industrial base into the European Union’s legal order, highlighting limitations at both constitutional and market levels and the enduring tension between EU strategic autonomy and NATO's US-driven transatlantic defence agenda.