Pistorius verteidigt Bevorzugung der deutschen Industrie bei Rüstungsausgaben
Der Schutz der heimischen Rüstungsindustrie sei ein Problem, mit dem alle EU-Länder zu kämpfen hätten, so der Verteidigungsminister.
Berlin – Defense Minister Boris Pistorius dismissed criticism that Germany was putting its arms industry ahead of European defense cooperation. In his remarks at the Berlin Security Conference on Wednesday, the SPD politician defended Germany's approach, saying it acted no differently from other countries. The criticism came from Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), chair of the EU Parliament's Defense Committee, who accused Germany of being overly focused on weapons from German manufacturers rather than cooperating with European partners.
Pistorius countered that "everyone says unanimously and every day, not just on Sundays, that we want more cooperation and joint defense projects in the defense sector." However, each country also individually insisted that its own industry not fall behind, he said. The dispute highlights a problem for Europe's ambitions. EU member states want to build stronger forces and buy more together, but governments are also eager to protect jobs and factories at home.
The figures illustrate this tension. In 2025, EU countries spent 115 billion euros on military equipment, of which 24 percent went to joint procurement, according to the European Defense Agency. Brussels wants this share to rise to at least 40 percent by 2030 through the SAFE program, a 150 billion euro initiative to encourage countries to buy weapons together instead of individually.
Yet governments often hesitate to award large defense contracts to companies in other countries. Poland's government declared it would spend 89 percent of the 44 billion euros it receives from the SAFE fund on domestic industry. Pistorius dismissed this criticism, stating that governments should also have a responsibility to protect their economies and industries.
"Therefore, I would dismiss the criticism in your question," he told Strack-Zimmermann. "And if there is criticism to be made, it should not be directed against Germany, but against literally every European with an arms industry."
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