Pistorius rejects claims that Germany favors its domestic arms industry
BERLIN – German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius rejected criticism that Germany puts its own defence industry ahead of European defence cooperation. Speaking at the Berlin Security Conference on Wednesday, the SPD politician said Germany wants this cooperation and does not act differently from other countries.
Pistorius was responding to Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), chair of the European Parliament's Defence Committee. She accused Germany of focusing too heavily on weapons from German manufacturers instead of working with European partners.
Pistorius said: "Everyone says unanimously and every day – not just on Sundays – that we want more cooperation in defence and more joint armament projects." He added: "But when it gets tough, every country says just as unanimously, but each for itself: 'My industry must not fall behind.'"
Pistorius argued that governments also have a responsibility to protect their economies and industries. He told Strack-Zimmermann: "I would therefore reject the criticism in your question. And if there is criticism to be made, it should not be directed against Germany, but against literally all Europeans with a defence industry."
According to the European Defence Agency, EU countries spent 115 billion euros on military equipment in 2025. Of that spending, 24 percent went to joint procurement. Brussels wants that share to reach at least 40 percent by 2030.
The EU created the 150 billion euro SAFE loan programme to encourage countries to buy weapons jointly rather than individually. The report says governments often hesitate to award large defence contracts to companies in other countries. The Polish government said it intends to spend 89 percent of the nearly 44 billion euros it receives from the SAFE fund on its domestic industry.