Taras Kachka: EU industrial, trade and innovation policies are now part of Europe’s common security policy
On 16 October in Brussels, during the panel “Europe’s Security: a Tipping Point” at the annual State of Europe forum organised by the think tank Friends of Europe, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka emphasised that the current geopolitical situation requires Europe to rethink its approaches to security and develop a long-term, unified defence strategy.
The event brought together leading European politicians and experts to discuss the pivotal nature of contemporary European security, to define what the EU’s common security strategy should look like for the coming decade, and how member states can more effectively coordinate actions by integrating military, technological, and industrial components.
In his speech, Taras Kachka stressed that Europe is undergoing a profound shift in its understanding of security: “The war that russia is waging is a total war aimed at complete destruction. The response to it must also be global – from information and cyber security to defence technologies and drone production. Ukraine today stands at the forefront of this fight.”
Speaking about Ukraine as an element of the new European security, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that it is shaping new standards of defence resilience. Ukraine’s experience in conducting high-intensity warfare, drones, digital solutions, and coordination with partners is effectively creating a model for modern European defence. This combines political decisions with concrete defence tools – such as PURL, the SAFE programme, or joint arms production.
The Deputy Prime Minister also highlighted that a key common task is to form a sustainable defence economy and modernised industry that takes into account Ukraine’s needs. Such an approach will strengthen the EU not only as a defence power but also as a technological leader.
“The European defence industry must become truly large-scale and capable of responding to all the challenges of modern warfare. We must think not in terms of national production but of a single European defence space,” stated the Deputy Prime Minister.
Taras Kachka also drew attention to the need for technological autonomy for Europe and Ukraine: “For true geopolitical independence, production must be localised – even for the simplest components – from drone parts to communication elements – which will ensure independence from third countries. EU industrial, trade, and innovation policies are now becoming part of Europe’s common security policy.”
The event was also attended by: Belinda Balluku, Deputy Prime Minister of Albania, and Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.
Background
The State of Europe forum is organised by Friends of Europe – a leading Brussels-based think tank that each year brings together high-level officials, scholars, and business representatives to discuss strategic challenges that will shape EU policy in the coming years. The panel “Europe’s Security: a Tipping Point” was a central part of this year’s forum. Participants agreed that Europe’s security is no longer limited to military aspects – it encompasses energy, digital, and industrial resilience.