The Emerging European Framework for Autonomous Production Clusters
Europe is entering a phase in which defence production is being reorganised around sovereign, cross-border industrial clusters designed to reduce strategic dependencies and ensure long-term readiness. This analysis examines how the EU is consolidating its fragmented industrial base through the European Defence Industrial Strategy, emergency manufacturing instruments and large-scale financing mechanisms such as ReArm Europe and SAFE. It clarifies why Europe’s ability to sustain high-intensity operations, support partners like Ukraine and meet NATO-aligned capability requirements now depends on integrated production ecosystems rather than isolated national industries. For professionals monitoring capability development, industrial policy and long-horizon demand, the report provides a structured framework for understanding how these emerging clusters are reshaping Europe’s defence economy and anchoring a new era of predictable, multi-country procurement and manufacturing scale.