EU's Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius visited Sweden on April 7-8 for discussions with the government, defense industry, and financial sector. The purpose of the visit was to discuss how EU member states can strengthen European defense capabilities through increased production rates, coordinated investments, and improved supply security.

On Monday, the commissioner visited the defense industry in Karlskoga together with Defense Minister Pål Jonson. The visit included facilities at BAE Systems Bofors, Nammo, Eurenco, and Saab. – We need more scale and speed in the European defense industry, wrote Defense Minister Pål Jonson on X after the meeting.

During the visit, Andrius Kubilius highlighted the EU's potential to contribute to the industrial capacity of member states. – The EU can add great value to member states' industries through joint procurements and support for research and innovation, he wrote on X.

Tuesday was dedicated to meetings in Stockholm, where Kubilius met with representatives of the Swedish defense industry as well as representatives of the banking and financial sector. He also met Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of the Board for Saab and SEB. – There were good discussions about both opportunities and bottlenecks in the development of the defense industry, commented the commissioner after the meetings.

The EU Commission's defense portfolio was established in 2024, with the mission to coordinate member states' efforts in the joint development of defense capabilities. Since taking office, Commissioner Kubilius has emphasized the need for the EU to "spend more, spend better, and spend European" in the defense sector.