The Programme for Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation (AGILE), proposed by the European Commission and planned as a one-year pilot in 2027 with a budget of around €115 million, aims to fast-track the development and deployment of disruptive defence technologies. With a strong focus on SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups, and a target time-to-grant of just four months, the initiative reflects the EU’s response to a deteriorating security environment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While recognising the need to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities and responsiveness, industriAll Europe expresses concerns about the programme’s framing and potential long-term implications for the industrial base.

A central issue is AGILE’s emphasis on so-called “New Defence players”. IndustriAll Europe cautions that this narrative risks creating an artificial divide between emerging companies and established industrial actors, even though Europe’s defence capabilities depend on complex, integrated supply chains combining large firms and highly specialised SMEs. Prioritising novelty over industrial maturity could weaken existing ecosystems rather than reinforce them.

IndustriAll Europe questions the frequent reference to Ukraine as a model for rapid innovation. While acknowledging Ukraine’s advances in areas such as drones and AI-enabled systems, these developments take place under wartime emergency conditions. In contrast, the EU operates within a peacetime framework grounded in democratic control, regulatory standards and workers’ protections. Attempting to replicate wartime innovation cycles without adapting these frameworks risks creating unrealistic expectations and implementation challenges.

AGILE’s focus on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, further raises governance concerns. Technological development must be accompanied by clear ethical safeguards. In particular, meaningful human control over defence systems must remain a fundamental principle, and that workers involved in AI-enabled systems require proper training, accountability structures and protection.
A major gap is the limited attention given to employment, skills and working conditions within the AGILE proposal. Defence innovation funding must be linked to social conditionalities, including respect for collective bargaining, quality jobs and high health and safety standards. Fast-track funding mechanisms could encourage precarious employment practices, and risk weakening both Europe’s industrial base and its social model.

IndustriAll Europe is calling on EU policymakers to ensure that AGILE is:

• Clearly positioned as complementary to existing EU defence instruments;
• Embedded in a coherent industrial strategy that integrates all actors in the value chain;
• Governed by strong ethical and democratic safeguards, particularly regarding AI;
• Aligned with long-term goals for strategic autonomy and industrial capacity;
• Linked to investment in skills, quality jobs and workers’ rights.

“AGILE can play a useful role if it is carefully designed and embedded within a broader industrial strategy. Agility must support, not weaken, Europe’s industrial base and social model. A balanced approach is essential to ensure both security and cohesion across the continent. This is why we are calling for stronger safeguards, coordination and a clear focus on long-term resilience” said Isabelle Barthes, industriAll Europe’s deputy general secretary.