Portugal's President Calls for EU-wide defence tech sourcing and unified weapons platforms

At a conference hosted by the Lisbon Club, President António José Seguro emphasized that the European Union must achieve true defence autonomy by purchasing equipment from within its own market and harmonising procurement decisions. He argued that Europe should limit the number of aircraft types, as well as standardise main battle tanks and submarines, to create a coherent defence strategy. Seguro pointed to dual-use technologies, including drones and other systems developed by Portuguese company Tekever, as models for this approach.

His comments came on the same day that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Portugal for meetings on defence coordination with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. Seguro reiterated that increased defence budgets are ineffective unless Europe can rely on its own technological base, stressing the strategic importance of internal supply chains.