Minister Crosetto at the FII PRIORITY Europe 2026 Forum

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Defense Minister Guido Crosetto spoke today at FII PRIORITY Europe 2026, an international forum organized by the Future Investment Initiative Institute.

“In Europe, we cannot afford regulatory delays, bureaucracy, and constraints that force companies to remain small while global competitors grow.
The most recent crises—from Ukraine to the Red Sea—teach us that having advanced capabilities is not enough: we must be able to produce quickly, in adequate quantities, and with supply chains capable of withstanding shocks.
In this sense, even fragmentation—if managed from the outset—can become a positive factor: more production sites mean greater resilience and less vulnerability. This is another reason why we must understand that investments in defense are not merely a cost, but a necessary condition for protecting security, peace, democratic stability, productive capacity, and competitiveness.
If we fall behind in defense, we risk falling behind in the economy, industry, and technology as well. It’s all connected.”
Minister Crosetto made these remarks on the topic of Europe’s competitiveness at the FFII PRIORITY Europe 2026 event.