Which Type of Armament Cooperation Do We Want/Need? The Case of Poland

From Poland’s perspective, Europe needs more advanced cooperation in the joint procurement and production of armaments. Its primary goal should be to increase the production pace of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) and to reduce costs. Cooperation within the European defence industry should also enable member states to address key capability gaps in areas such as air defence, long-range strike, artillery systems, drones and anti-drone systems, ammunition, missiles, and battlefield management systems. At the same time, intensified cooperation should not lead to the suppression of competition and diversity within the EDTIB. Countries with less developed defence industrial capabilities should be given the opportunity to advance within the European division of labour; otherwise, they may be reluctant to cooperate and instead base their armaments choices on factors other than support for European producers.