Member States must give the Agency the power to do more, Kallas said, recalling EU leaders’ call in 2025 to strengthen EDA. Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, threw his support behind a stronger EU defence. Strategic autonomyA stronger EDA has the support of EU Member States, Pål Jonson, Sweden’s Minister of Defence, and Jens Plötner, Germany’s State Secretary for Defence, told the conference. Jonson and Plötner said missile defence should be a priority for EU defence. Belgium echoed EDA Chief Executive Denk in calling for strategic autonomy for the EU, but said that smaller EU countries would still need to rely on larger EU Member States’ willingness to work together.