Financing the EDTIB to Ensure the Security and the Sustainability of the European Industrial Model

On October 19th 2023, the European-wide ARES Group gathered experts and high-level speakers in Brussels to address some of the complex questions concerning the financing of the European Defence and Technology Industrial Basis (EDTIB). Indeed, as the war in Ukraine has highlighted the need for the European Defence Industry to ramp up and help the member states to face the challenge of possible future high intensity war, access to private fundings becomes even more a strategic objective for defence companies. The problem of financing was identified several years ago, before the war on Ukraine, and it was even thought that with the apparition of a conflict so close to Europe, the bankers’ mind would be different. Nonetheless, the obstacles remain strong at a time where funding the industry is more than essential to ensure security and sustainability.

During two successive panels aimed to address these problems, the first panel entitled “Understanding the challenges of financing the defence industry” and the second “Supporting Investors to increase the financial attractiveness of defence companies”, the participants were able to first discuss the challenges regarding the financing of the defence Industry and then to talk about ways of supporting investors in order to increase the financial attractiveness of defence companies. After recalling the issues, the defence industry is facing, the panellists discussed the possible leads for solutions to these issues…