“Three fundamental priorities marked the first seven months of our mandate: defence, competitiveness, and Europe’s role in the world”. This was stated by President António Costa to the European Parliament plenary session. First, defence: “The Russian invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call for Europe. It demonstrated that peace without defence is an illusion. NATO is indispensable. But the European Union has a clear added value, in fact it has a fundamental role, and it is ready to assume greater responsibility”. That’s why the European Council “has approved a work plan towards achieving defence readiness by 2030”. There, Costa explained the measures that will be taken to facilitate the Member States’ expenditures on credit to strengthen their armies and defence capabilities (fiscal space, SAFE program, standardisation, and aggregation of demand). In his opinion, defence should be regarded “as a driver for competitiveness, boosting research, innovation and developing a real industrial policy on defence, with more private investment supported by the European Investment Bank”. “We need to implement a common defence system, investing together in strategic capabilities like air defence, maritime security, space or cyber. I’m not talking about a European Army. I’m talking about common goods operated by our national armies, according to a common plan”. “Building the Europe of defence is not a slogan; it is a duty”.