Sustaining Defence Spending in a Wartime Economy - How to Balance Politics, Industry, and Society

• Development and External Relations Service
• The EU Security Initiative (EUSI)

Sustaining Defence Spending in a Wartime Economy - How to Balance Politics, Industry, and Society

As Europe faces prolonged insecurity and the return of high-intensity conflict, sustaining increased defense budgets becomes both a political and social challenge. This side event examined how democracies can sustain long-term defense investment without compromising economic stability or public support. Speakers discussed about how governments, industry, and citizens can align around defense priorities, and how to communicate the necessity of resilience and readiness in times of fiscal fatigue. Consensus is crucial not only for governments and society but also for the defence industry – without it, investing in defence becomes more risky and long-term planning more uncertain.

By engaging speakers from various institutional and national settings, the session aimed to identify practical strategies for balancing political constraints, industrial capacity, and societal consent, ensuring that Europe’s security efforts remain credible and democratically legitimate.

This side event was organised by the European University Institute and Łukasiewicz–ITECH within the framewok of the European Union Security Initative.