One of their key asks of Brussels is to “defense-optimize horizontal instruments,” as the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe put it last year. Defense companies are now likely to start lobbying the EU executive to ensure their sector is at least taken into account, if not prioritized in future proposals.
No game change for farming
Tucked into the fine print of the Compass are a few modest nods to farming — because it’s hardly Europe’s next economic rocket.
The strategy gestures at fostering agricultural entrepreneurship and linking farming to the bioeconomy. But let’s be real — no one expects farmers to start churning out unicorn startups. Still, the Commission wants to squeeze out more efficiency and ease the administrative burden on both farmers and regulators.
A Vision for Agriculture and Food lands on Feb. 19, promising sustainability and resilience. The EU also aims to cut red tape and push circular economy principles. But will it bring real change? Expect consultations, strategies, and tweaks — but not so much game-changing shifts.
Marianne Gros, Zia Weise, Gabriel Gavin, Pieter Haeck, Giovanna Faggionato, Gregorio Sorgi, Kathryn Carlson, Douglas Busvine, Jordyn Dahl, Tommaso Lecca, Aoife White, Rory O’Neill, Laura Kayali, Bartosz Brzeziński, Aude van den Hove, Francesca Micheletti, Giovanna Coi and Hanne Cokelaere contributed to this report.
