Nearly 200 guests, including European military commanders and defense ministers, attended the two-day summit.
HE Italian defense ministerGuido Crosetto and you French counterpartSébastien Lecornu attended the second and last day of the ‘European Air and Missile Defense Conference’ held in Rome on Monday and Tuesday.
At the meeting attended by approximately 200 businessmen and military leaders, the issue of protecting European skies from the Russian threat – which became even more urgent with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – came to the fore. This issue was discussed in three panels respectively. political, military and industrial aspects.
According to Giorgio Cioni, head of Aerospace Capabilities in NATO’s Defense Investment division, who spoke at the event, “air and missile defense are the first line of response.” in case of attack in a short time“.
“Protecting Europe’s skies is a crucial mission for the Alliance,” Cioni said. he added and acknowledged the necessity of this. step up the defense system across the continent In the context of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Defense Ministers of Italy and France expressed their opinions
In his closing speech, Italian Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto said that there was still much to be done in the field of defense and added: “It’s a race against time”.
“We are not prepared for the current challenges”he stated. “We are slow, this is not an accusation, just a confirmation. Either we have a European industry that will not depend on anyone, or we cannot guarantee European defense.”
Both Crosetto and his French counterpart believe the aim of the conference is to: creating a dialogue between the main actors It is crucial for the industry to act in this way, while also encouraging confrontation.
“It is important that this meeting be held between European states, European defense systems and European industries, and at the same time all obstacles are eliminated. bureaucratic obstacles it’s a waste of our time,” Crosetto said.
In his speech, Lecornu said, “Strategic thinking is useful because it forces all actors to share and discuss. At the same time Include Atlantic Alliance teams. “It also encourages a closer relationship between industry and our soldiers.”
Although it is already being talked about Third conference for 2025 The debate, which first took place in Paris last year, will continue in European institutions in the coming months. In fact, the European Union (EU) recently appointed its first Defense Commissioner, Andrius Kubilius.
EU one Peripheral figure in defensive strategies Member States are largely dictated by national governments. However, this decision is symbolic because it places defense and security at the center of the next European Commission agenda.
