Prime Minister Babiš following the meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing”: Europe should set up a joint air defence project
On Monday 13 July 2026, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš attended a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris. Leaders from thirty countries supporting Ukraine followed up on the outcomes of the recent NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. At the meeting, the Czech Prime Minister emphasised the need to establish a joint European air defence project.
“I took the floor today and spoke about the need to create a European air defence project modelled on Airbus. Aircraft manufacturing in Europe was once fragmented across a number of countries, and then came the Airbus project, which brought together many European manufacturers. I proposed that we now take the same approach and set up a joint European air defence project—Europatriot. Europe lacks coordination of production in this area. The main thing is for large countries such as France, Germany and Italy to reach an agreement on this, and for it to be a joint project of the Member States of the European Union,” said the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Babiš also held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the Czech Republic’s possible involvement in a coalition for European defence against ballistic missiles, which was established by nine European countries led by France and Germany.
Following a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, the Czech Prime Minister attended a state dinner at the Élysée Palace, hosted by President Macron. On Tuesday 14 July, Andrej Babiš will attend a military parade in Paris to mark the French national holiday – Bastille Day.
