EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius has called on European countries and defence companies to abandon bureaucratic barriers and shift to Ukraine-style rapid decision-making — producing weapons at scale, cheaply, and on tight timelines.
Speaking before the European Parliament’s Security and Defence Committee, Kubilius stressed that Europe still makes key decisions too slowly, while Russia’s war economy is running at full capacity.
“We must learn from Ukraine. Ukrainian companies are showing how to rapidly develop, test, and bring innovative weapons into production with limited resources. Europe cannot afford to spend years on approvals while Russia’s pace of militarisation is growing,” the Commissioner said.
Kubilius urged MEPs to urgently approve the new €115 million defence innovation programme AGILE (Accelerating Groundbreaking Innovation for Defence in Europe). This pilot initiative aims to support startups and small businesses working on breakthrough technologies: artificial intelligence, drones, quantum technologies, robotics, and cybersecurity.
The programme involves a radical reduction in red tape: the time from application to grant award will be cut to just four months, with funding covering up to 100% of costs for 20–30 selected projects. The goal is to move innovations from the lab to real battlefield use as quickly as possible.
Kubilius noted that success on the modern battlefield increasingly depends on the speed of innovation, the agility of smaller players, and the ability to produce weapons economically and at volume. He specifically invited Ukrainian companies to participate in European defence projects to share their combat experience.
“Europe must become competitive not only in quality, but also in the speed and cost of weapons production. Otherwise, we risk falling behind,” Kubilius concluded.
The AGILE programme proposal has already been submitted by the European Commission and is currently awaiting approval from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. The initiative is seen as an important step within the broader strategy of strengthening Europe’s defence industry amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and growing geopolitical challenges.