Defence policy
European defence shifts to innovative procurement, eyeing 'Netflix-style' models
As Europe re-arms, policymakers and companies are exploring innovative procurement models, such as 'Netflix-style' subscriptions, to sustain the defence industry's readiness beyond the current boom. This signals a strategic shift in how the EU plans for long-term defence capabilities.
№ 34 · Tuesday, 7 July 2026
Policymakers and companies across Europe are exploring innovative procurement models to ensure long-term defence readiness. This includes considering concepts like 'Netflix-style' subscriptions for defence capabilities, aiming to sustain the industry beyond the current surge in demand. Such approaches align with broader European efforts to embed and drive innovation in public procurement.
Projects like PROCEDIN, which focuses on embedding and driving innovation in procurement, demonstrate a foundational push towards more advanced purchasing strategies. PROCEDIN aims to accelerate the adoption of public procurement of innovation practices by bringing together business and public sectors. Similarly, InnoBuyer is designed as a testing ground for a demand-driven methodology, fostering co-creation between procurers and innovation suppliers to address common challenges. This project specifically promotes an ecosystem for collaborative innovation among European public and private procurers and innovation suppliers, including EIC SMEs.
These initiatives, while not exclusively defence-focused, build the necessary frameworks and capabilities for adopting flexible and strategic procurement methods. The context for these explorations is heightened by ongoing security concerns, as evidenced by a warning from the OSCE that NATO and EU officials are targets of transnational repression. This geopolitical environment underscores the urgency for robust and adaptable defence capabilities.
The focus on innovation procurement reflects a strategic shift towards enhancing the rate, scale, and scope of innovation adoption within public sectors. By supporting projects that foster co-creation and capacity building, the groundwork is laid for future defence acquisition strategies that can adapt to evolving threats and technological advancements.
What this means: Europe is moving towards more agile and innovative ways of acquiring defence capabilities, leveraging existing expertise in public procurement of innovation to secure long-term strategic advantage and industry resilience.
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