According to the director of the French defensive giant, Europe should “take its destiny” and strive to maintain new defensive budgets on its own limits Thales.
The European Union is planning mobilize up to EUR 800 billion ($ 841 billion) Increase defense expenses. The advertisement was apparently after the USA He stopped military assistance For Ukraine, growing pressure on the block to take action.
“It sounds logical for Europe to take its destiny to your own hands and build, if necessary, increasing capacity in terms of engineering, research and development, industry”, Patrice Caine, general director Thales, said CNBC Charlotte Reed on Tuesday.
Caine told CNBC that in his opinion it sensitized that European companies were beneficiaries of increased expenses.
“This is what happens in the USA, and we are also a player in the US, so we know how it is. The US provides defense equipment systems from American suppliers, and this is normal. Australia is doing the same, Great Britain does the same – so why should Europe do it differently? “
“If you want to be autonomous, if you want to give meaning a word sovereignty, you must be independent of the third parties and be as self-sufficient as possible in this kind of ability,” he said, adding that the European defense industry was able to satisfy demand.
The Chief Director said that France was an example of a European country. It is 100% self -sufficient. “This is only political readiness to buy more and more from European suppliers than suppliers based outside Europe,” he said.
Thales on Tuesday reported higher income and revenues For 2024, shares jumped 12% before the profit to exchange by 3%.
Caine said the strategy of “Reaction Europe Plan” increases the company's trust when it comes to its future results.
“It strengthens our own belief that we see a decade of growth in defense – will not change the equation for 2025, but apparently it is positive in the long run,” he said, emphasizing that there will be a “gap” between the announcement of the plan and all orders.
“Suppose it takes some time, from a political decision to the applicable contract. So clearly, the future will show, but it is very positive for the general industry, for Europe, to see this strong political rush, “he said.
Europe was under pressure to increase the defensive budgets demands of US President Donald Trump that NATO European allies spend up to 5% of GDP on defense. Like the EU, Great Britain has recently announced A significant journey in defense expensesWhen Prime Minister Keir Starmer undertakes that the United Kingdom will spend 2.5% of GDP to defend by 2027.
European supply of defense gathered after talks from the President of the European Commission Uruculi von der Leyen, Starmer I other leaders After increasing the defensive budgets. Thales has gained 60% since the beginning of the year, while Germany Hensoldt and Sweden Saab gained 85.5% and 52% respectively in 2025.
However, like Caine, some analysts warned that new defense expenditure policies would deal with profit.
“Defense is a matter of national security, so the valuation of these companies based on the flow of the message that we currently have, is getting more and more difficult,” said Christian Mueller-Glissmann, head of research on allocation of assets at Goldman Sachs, “Street Signs Europe” on Monday.
“The problem is that when you have such a big change in the regime, these companies can change the way they earn money and how they will be integrated with national security fabric. I understand why they accumulate, there will be many more defense expenses, but it will be a long -term process. “