On Saturday 7 September, the study “Peace through security: the strategic role of digital technologies”, carried out by THEA Group (The European House Ambrosetti), in collaboration with Leonardo, was presented at the 50^th Cernobbio Forum. At the event, Lorenzo Mariani, Co-General Manager of Leonardo, commented on the EU Defence sector and the role that Leonardo plays in the consolidation of the industry.

In an interview with “Il Messaggero”, Mariani highlights how “the industry is ready for great European alliances, but the EU must do its part.” Increase Defence spending to 2% of GDP and incentivize joint programmes. This is the acceleration needed for Europe to gain global competitiveness and autonomy. And, to this end, it is necessary to focus on an appropriate use of resources, eliminating fragmentation and duplicate programmes, following the United States’ model, which invests more and on fewer platforms.

In the “La Stampa” interview, Lorenzo Mariani highlights how the ongoing conflicts have immediate repercussions in many aspects that impact the lives of citizens and the functioning of society, increasingly based on the sharing and protection of data. For this reason, we must talk about global security, much broader than in the past and requiring specific skills in Space and cybersecurity. In this perspective, Leonardo, with its 2024-2028 Industrial Plan, in addition to strengthening the traditional business, aims to develop these two sectors. Also for this purpose, concludes Mariani, “We combine alliances with strategic agreements and acquisitions, evaluating in particular medium-small dossiers in cybersecurity.”