• On 5 March 2024, the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) presented the first-ever EU Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the European Defence Programme (EDIP).

• These initiatives aim to increase EU defence production capacity, cooperation between the Member States on armaments programmes and reduce foreign dependency in the context of the war in Ukraine, the increase in general worldwide national defence capabilities and a possible US disengagement from Europe in 2025.

• Although it sets out clear political objectives, the content of the Communications does not signify a break with the Commission's initiatives in the field of the defence industrial policy that has been implemented since the 1990s.

• The interventionist instruments proposed in these texts lack the financial resources and political incentives to achieve the objectives set.

• Despite the Commission's ambitions, the intergovernmental paradigm remains unchanged. As a result, there has been no "Colbertist revolution" in Brussels.

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