Europe Becomes World’s Biggest Importer of Arms

While Brussels dreams about the great potential of European manufacturing, the reality is that the continent has become the world’s biggest arms importer.

That is according to new research from Stockholm’s International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which shows this transition took place over the past five years, especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In particular, European states more than trebled their imports of weapons in 2021-2025 compared to 2016-2020, especially from the U.S., from which EU leaders also dream of achieving “independence.”

Researchers pointed to “deliveries to Ukraine since 2022” as “the most obvious factor” for this boost, with the country becoming the world’s biggest arms importer over the past five years—albeit with a more recent dip in deliveries.

But they also highlighted the need of European governments “to shore up their military capabilities” following years—and, in some cases, decades—of inattention by the establishment classes.

The delivery point is worth particular attention since it suggests the situation is not so simple as that European states are not producing enough weapons.

Indeed, Josep Borrell himself said in November 2023, while still vice-president of the European Commission, “about 40% of the [European defence industry] production is being exported to third countries,” arguing that deliveries should only be sent to “priority” countries so, presumably, the remainder can stay at home.

But it is not as though anything appears to have been done about this. Instead, SIPRI said that Germany has overtaken China to become the fourth largest arms exporter, with more than three-quarters of its exports going to countries other than Ukraine, and France is the second largest supplier of major arms.