EU Security and Defence: The State of Play in 2026

Against the backdrop of a more turbulent geopolitical environment. the European Union has increased its effort to ensure that its citizens are protected. In his remarks to the IIEA, Guillaume de la Brosse, Head of Unit for Defence Policy and Innovation at the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space at the European Commission (DG DEFIS), discusses progress on the implementation of the White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030, as well as the work of the EU in meeting the challenges of an increasingly insecure world.    About the Speaker: Guillaume de La Brosse is currently Head of Unit, Defence Policy and Innovation at DG DEFIS. Previously, he was Head of Unit in charge of Innovation and New Space - Space Defence in the Commission (Direction-General for Defence Industry and Space). Guillaume joined the Commission in 2016, as member of the Commission’s think-tank and member of the UK Task Force, where he dealt with security, defence, and space.