The EU’s proposed ‘Made in Europe’ rules would steer public procurement and subsidies towards European production. The UK, Japan and Turkey are seeking access, exposing the tension between strategic autonomy and deeply integrated industrial supply chains.

Advanced-manufacturing start-up Isembard has opened a software-driven factory in central London to  supply components for drones, rockets, submarines and robots. The project illustrates how defence demand, AI and private capital are reshaping Britain’s industrial base.

Dutch start-up Fortaegis has raised $50mn to commercialise hardware-based encryption designed for defence, telecoms and autonomous systems. Its technology uses the physical fingerprint of silicon chips to secure data, highlighting Europe’s effort to build sovereign capabilities in cybersecurity, semiconductors and trusted computing.

German defence start-up ARX Robotics is turning to Europe’s automotive manufacturers to scale production of unmanned ground vehicles. The initiative illustrates how existing industrial capacity, dual-use technology and public procurement can be combined to rebuild  Europe’s defence manufacturing base at speed.

A loophole in the UK sanctions regime has allowed a British insurer to continue covering tankers carrying Russian liquefied natural gas. The case exposes the difficulty of aligning sanctions, energy  security and maritime services — and the strategic dependencies that persist  within Europe’s critical energy infrastructure.

Mariana Mazzucato argues that industrial policy succeeds only when public investment is organised around clear missions and matched by conditions that return value to citizens. Contrasting Biden’s capacity-building with Trump’s tariffs and equity stakes, she calls for stronger public institutions, safeguards for workers and affordability, and mechanisms that allow the public to share in the rewards of state-backed innovation.