European Commission - Speech Keynote speech by Commissioner Dombrovskis at NATO FUSE event Riga, 30 October 2026 Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, It is an honour to join you this morning at NATO FUSE 2026. We meet at a time where our skies have become battlefields. Most of all on Europe's frontline, where Ukraine's air defences confront waves of Russian drones and missiles, day and night. But also, along o...
European Commission - Speech Keynote speech by Commissioner Dombrovskis at NATO FUSE event Riga, 30 October 2026 Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, It is an honour to join you this morning at NATO FUSE 2026. We meet at a time where our skies have become battlefields. Most of all on Europe's frontline, where Ukraine's air defences confront waves of Russian drones and missiles, day and night. But also, along our entire Eastern flank. From the Baltic to the Black Sea. And increasingly, Russia's incursions are reaching deeper into EU and NATO territory. Their objective is clear: To test, provoke and intimidate. We are determined that they will not succeed. We must, therefore, rapidly strengthen our capabilities to counter these threats. And rebuild our broader defensive capabilities to deter them in the first place. The EU recognises the scale and immediacy of this challenge. That is why we have put strengthening Europe's defence at the very top of our agenda. And, together, Europe is finally putting money where our mouth is. The EU's Defence Readiness Agenda seeks to mobilise up to €800 billion in defence investments. This includes the EU's €150 billion SAFE instrument, which is financing investments in key areas such as missile defence, drones, and cyber security across Europe. We established the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) to modernise Europe's defence industry, ramp-up production capacity, and secure Europe's technological edge. And our €7.3 billion European Defence Fund is supporting companies across the EU develop projects that will deliver innovative and interoperable defence technologies and equipment. I am particularly pleased to see the Latvian industry and research organizations participating in more than thirty European cross-border defence R&D projects. Early next year, the Commission will launch AGILE. It is a new instrument to accelerate the path from disruptive defence technology development to battlefield use. It will support SMEs, startups and scaleups in moving from development to market uptake We have also introduced flexibility in our fiscal rules, creating the fiscal space to help EU Member States mobilise defence investments. And they are making use of this space. Defence spending by the EU's 27 Member States reached €418 billion in 2025, a 20% increase compared to 2024. Spending is projected to rise further to €454 billion in 2026, reflecting Member States' continued efforts to strengthen Europe's defence capabilities and readiness. Latvia, our host for today, is at the forefront of this collective effort, with its defence spending set to reach 5% of GDP next year. But strengthening our defences is not only about spending more. It is about spending smarter. And spending together. The Priority Capability Area Drones and Counter-Drone systems is moving fast on two priorities: First, accelerating the joint procurement and delivery of key capabilities. And second, fostering innovation, operational testing and the rapid scale-up of what works. I commend the lead nations driving forward the Capability Coalition: Latvia, Croatia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain. Their efforts are essential to strengthening Europe's defence posture and our collective capacity to address the growing drone threat. They can count on the continued support of the European Union, including the European Commission, and on the expertise of the European Defence Agency. That brings me to Project DECODER, one of the first five European Defence Projects of Common Interest, the large-scale collaborative military capability and industrial projects established under the European Defence Industry Programme. DECODER will help European countries build, scale up, and deploy drones, as well as the systems and technology to stop hostile drones. In doing so, it will close critical capability gaps and strengthen Europe's defence industrial base. Project DECODER can benefit from financial support under the European Defence Industry Programme to help it fulfil its full potential. Today, also on behalf of High Representative Kaja Kallas and the Priority Capability Area on Drones and Counter-Drone Systems, I am pleased to take part in the historic announcement of the first two pilot European Drone Technology Hubs, to be established in 2027. The hubs will provide environments in which new land, maritime and air drone military concepts and technologies can be developed, tested and evaluated under operational conditions. The first will be here in Latvia, at the Selonia military training area, which also hosts one of NATO's innovation Ranges for drones and counter-drone technologies. It will focus on land and air drone and counter-drone technologies. The second, in Scheveningen in the Netherlands, will focus on naval capabilities, seabed security, harbour protection, and protection of critical underwater infrastructure. They will both cover different domains, but share one objective: to speed up the development, testing and deployment of effective drone and counter-drone solutions. This is a concrete step towards building a European network of Drone Technology Hubs, where Member States, industry, researchers and military users come together to bring this critical technology from the lab to the field, faster. In developing drones and counter-drone systems, Europe has one significant advantage: our partnership with Ukraine. The EU remains Ukraine's largest international supporter, having now provided over €230 billion in financial support since February 2022. And Ukraine is a valued participant in DECODER. Its unique expertise and capabilities in drone warfare have been central to its defence against Russia's full-scale invasion. And now, its hard-won battlefield experience can help us accelerate innovation and strengthen our own drone systems. That is why we set up the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance. It is an industry driven format that brings EU and Ukrainian companies together, giving them a platform for joint development and production. By the end of the year, we aim to sign the EU-Ukraine Defence Industry Pact. It will make it easier to set up joint ventures, transfer technology, and integrate Ukraine's defence industry into Europe's defence technological and industrial base. Finally, the EU remains committed to working in close coordination with NATO. Our European Drone Technology Hubs and NATO's Innovation Ranges must work hand in hand. That is how we will maximise our impact, avoid duplication and ensure our systems work together. With so much at stake, the EU and NATO have both the opportunity and the responsibility to join forces: to protect our most exposed borders and to strengthen our collective security. Together, there is no threat we cannot overcome. Ladies and gentlemen, our freedom cannot be taken for granted. It must be defended through courage, preparation and solidarity. For Europe, this means that we must never lose the resolve to defend what unites us: Our freedom and our democratic values. Thank you. SPEECH/26/2291 <@rel_link@>
Speech Brief