European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined the scale of the EU's defence investment push and invited closer cooperation with non-EU allies, including Turkey and Ukraine, during a panel discussion at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara on 7 July 2026. Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, von der Leyen highlighted the ReArm Europe programme, which mobilises up to €800 billion until 2030, and the SAFE programme providing €150 billion for joint procurement. She noted that 10 agreements worth €100 billion have already been signed under SAFE, which is open to partners: 35% of cost components can originate outside the EU, rising further for countries with a security and defence agreement with the EU, as Canada has done.
Von der Leyen emphasised the need for interoperability between EU and NATO forces, noting that member states assign a single set of forces to various missions. She stressed that the EU's next long-term budget includes €131 billion for military capabilities and €17 billion for military mobility infrastructure. Addressing Turkish participants, she described Turkey as one of NATO's largest armed forces and pointed to the 35% SAFE threshold as an opportunity for cooperation. She also highlighted Ukraine's innovative defence industry, announcing that the EU has opened its Innovation Office in Kyiv, is encouraging joint ventures with Ukrainian companies, and is working on a longer-term partnership to boost cutting-edge technology production. On societal resilience, von der Leyen called for a whole-of-society approach to counter hybrid threats, including foreign information manipulation, and cited Eurobarometer data showing security as a top concern for European citizens.