Only 24% of EU defence equipment procurement was collaborative, well below the long-standing 35% European benchmark.

Omissions

• The 24% figure is for 2025 and represents an improvement over previous years (EDA reported around 18% collaborative equipment procurement in 2021–2022), so the speaker's framing of stagnation should be read against a slow upward trend.
• The 35% benchmark is not a legal requirement but a voluntary target set by the European Defence Agency in 2007, which the EDA itself notes has never been met.
• The EDA's Defence Data 2025–2026 report was published in July 2026, i.e. available before the 2026-09-15 session date.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Defence Agency – Defence Data 2025–2026 (report PDF)24% of defence equipment procurement in 2025 (Figure 12). European Collaborative Procurement as a share of Defence Equipment Procurement.
• PrimaryEuropean Defence Agency – Defence Data PortalEquipment procurement (including R&D/R&T) 20% of total defence spending · European collaborative equipment procurement 35% of total equipment spending.
• SecondaryEuropean Parliamentary Research Service – 'EU joint defence procurement' briefingAlthough the European Defence Agency set a 35 % collaborative procurement benchmark back in 2007, cooperation among Member States remains limited.