Kaja Kallas: "EDA needs to lead, not just facilitate"

Plenary speech of the EU's High Representative and the Head of the European Defence Agency (EDA) Kaja Kallas from the EDA Annual Conference on 28 January 2026 in Brussels. Kallas said that EDA must go beyond its role as a supporter of EU cooperation to a leadership role, especially in innovation. She called on Member States to make the Agency “a true EU hub of defence innovation, including by supporting next generation and disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence.” Kallas also said that in the current challenging security environment Europe must step up: "the U.S. will remain Europe’s partner and ally. But Europe needs to adapt to the new realities. Europe is no longer Washington’s primary centre of gravity." Details: https://eda.europa.eu/news-and-events... Text version of the speech: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/hrvp-... #strongertogether #eudefence #EDAconf