Commentary
Economic Security
Think Tank
Forget Geopolitical Case for Enlargement. Economic Security Homework To Do
18 June 2026
21 March 2023
Traditional industry lost its lustre in the contemporary era, but if Europe wants to truly achieve strategic autonomy, then it must embrace the new wave of manufacturing.
Last week, Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Industry and the Internal Market, visited Bulgaria. Not to the beaches or the mountains but to the local munitions factories to support the expansion of munitions production for the EU and Ukraine.
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From Bulgaria, he will head to Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland and his native France on a defence tour, pushing the EU countries to commit to increased security funding. More ammunition is and will be produced in Central and Eastern Europe, which, because of the Russian war in Ukraine, will be progressively needed in the EU. However, manufacturing cannot be just switched on; it is both chemically and materially demanding to produce.