European Union accelerates maritime defence and undersea security

maritime defence submarine production undersea infrastructure European defence spending naval industry

The European Union is significantly increasing its maritime defence spending and strategic focus on undersea security. EU defence expenditure rose to €418 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach €454 billion in 2026. Maritime defence has become one of the fastest-growing sectors, with naval production reaching €13.7 billion in 2025 alone.

Industrial production is highly concentrated, with France, Germany, Italy, and Spain accounting for 87 percent of the EU’s maritime defence industrial base and 93 percent of its naval exports. Submarines now represent 27 percent of the bloc's maritime defence output. However, experts note that industrial concentration does not always reflect military commitment, pointing to Sweden and Greece as significant actors with highly specialized navies that are sometimes overlooked in broader industrial statistics.

Parallel to hardware procurement, the EU is prioritizing the protection of critical undersea infrastructure, including telecommunications cables and energy pipelines. This shift follows recent incidents involving the Nord Stream and Balticconnector pipelines. The EU has updated its Maritime Security Strategy to counter 'grey zone' threats and protect the digital and financial networks that rely on undersea fiber-optic cables.

Entities

European Policy Centre · European Union · France · Germany · Poland · SEA Europe · Saab

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] Submarines account for 27% of the total value of EU maritime defense production. es.euronews.com · fr.news.yahoo.com
[● 2 SOURCES] The EU has spent nearly 118 billion euros on maritime defense over the last decade. es.euronews.com · fr.news.yahoo.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Communication cables carry approximately 99% of intercontinental internet traffic. www.hsbnoticias.com
[● 2 SOURCES] The EU updated its Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS) in 2023 to protect critical seabed infrastructure. es.euronews.com · fr.news.yahoo.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Financial transactions worth an estimated 9.2 trillion euros pass through 1.4 million kilometers of submarine fiber optic cables daily. es.euronews.com · fr.news.yahoo.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Maritime defense spending increased by 23.6% in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. es.euronews.com · fr.news.yahoo.com