Europe should have its own defense industry, Greek National Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said in Prague on Saturday, at the GLOBSEC Forum 2024.

"Europe should have its own defense industry. Not for competition purposes, but to be able to defend ourselves. And after all, we must realize the real purpose of the European Union, which is the creation of a joint area with human rights, democracy, and free speech," Dendias said. "We must be in a position to defend them. Yes, we do have NATO serving this purpose. We definitely have NATO, and thank goodness we do. However, we must do this job ourselves, and this job complements the job that NATO does."

Dendias also spoke of fiscal limitations for each country, and of implementing Greece's Agenda 2030 in upgrading national defense. He said that deficits and outstanding loans Greece has restrict certain actions.
"Therefore, what I want to say, we will get a Defense Commissioner, perfect, fine. What will the Defense Commissioner be able to do if I cannot sign a check? That is why fiscal rules related to defense must change. That would be the main thing that the European Union should do in the future," the Greek defense minister urged.

The discussion was coordinated by editor-in-chief of Le Monde Sylvie Kauffmann. Also attending besides Dendias were fellow defense minister of Italy Guido Crosetto, former minister of Slovakia Martin Sklenar, cofounder and codirector of Helsing defense technology company Gundbert Scherf, and Atlantic Council director for Northern Europe Anna Wieslander.