Accelerating the Production of Defence Equipment: President von der Leyen at the 2026 NATO Summit
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"In this geostrategic and geopolitical environment, we need a massive surge in defence investment. And here, the European Union is indeed massively stepping up." - President von der Leyen On 7 July 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participated in a moderated conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye. In her interventions, President von der Leyen highlighted that the European Union and NATO must work even more closely in today’s difficult security environment, stressing that Europe needs greater interoperability, stronger resilience, and a major increase in defence investment. She also highlighted the EU’s efforts to strengthen its defence industrial base through initiatives such as ReArm Europe and SAFE, while keeping cooperation open to non-EU countries, including Türkiye and Canada, and aligning closely with NATO capability targets. She also underlined the importance of learning from Ukraine’s innovation and battlefield experience, and called for a whole-of-society approach to counter hybrid threats, defend democracy, and reinforce Europe’s security and peace. Find the full transcript of the President's interventions here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_26_1553 Disclaimer: Comments considered in breach of our social media moderation policy may be removed. You can take a look at it here: https://europa.eu/!q4KMP8 Follow us on: -X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeancommission/ -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanCommission -LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-commission/ -Medium: https://medium.com/@EuropeanCommission Check our website: https://commission.europa.eu/
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