In a joint statement, ASD (Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe) and ADS (UK trade association for the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors) welcomed the agreement. ASD Secretary General Jan Pie and ADS CEO Kevin Craven said, “ASD and ADS welcome today’s Security and Defence Partnership agreement, signed at the EU–UK Leaders Summit in London.”
They noted that the absence of a formal agreement since Brexit had “curtailed opportinities for synergies and scale, weakening Europe’s collective defence potential.” While recognising the agreement as a positive step, they stressed the need for further “detail and ambition… particularly on industrial collaboration, to fully realise its potential.”
The associations called for “concrete policy and legislative steps that provide the clarity and predictability needed for joint projects,” enabling UK and EU businesses to combine “funding, knowledge and capabilities.” They highlighted that such measures would allow the defence sectors “to act as force multipliers within a genuine European endeavour.”
Pie and Craven observed that the European security environment has “dramatically changed in recent years,” exposing the continent’s vulnerabilities and dependencies. They urged greater European responsibility in defence and emphasised the need to increase military capabilities through joint efforts.
They also welcomed the agreement’s commitment to regular exchanges on defence initiatives, noting it was “a positive signal” that both sides would explore mutual involvement in respective programmes. “Effective European defence requires close collaboration between the EU and the United Kingdom, including in the framework of EU defence programmes,” the statement added.
Although the UK is no longer part of the EU, the associations reaffirmed its enduring role in Europe’s defence landscape. “The UK remains deeply embedded within and an integral part of Europe’s defence industrial ecosystem,” they stated, citing decades of shared projects and strategic alignment.
