BRUSSELS: The Council of the European Union (EU) approved five joint defence projects on Monday to strengthen military capabilities and industrial capacity. Ukraine participates in four of the initiatives.
The projects bring countries together to develop drones and counter-drone systems, maritime and seabed protection, space capabilities, integrated air and missile defence, and eastern-border security.
By supporting long-term cooperation, they will strengthen Europe’s defence industry and improve the EU’s ability to respond to shared security challenges, in line with NATO capability priorities.
European Commission figures show that an average of 18 member states participate in each initiative. The cooperation aims to support military programmes that individual countries would struggle to develop alone.
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Maritime work covers threats to underwater infrastructure, including communications cables and energy networks. Meanwhile, the space initiative includes satellite-based capabilities, and air defence work covers early warning systems.
Eastern Flank Watch focuses on strengthening security along Europe’s eastern borders. The Commission has described a combined investment ambition of approximately €190 billion by 2036.
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That figure represents a long-term ambition rather than money allocated by Monday’s approval. Following the Council’s decision, the projects are eligible for funding through the European Defence Industry Programme.
The approval follows warnings from the European Defence Agency about gaps in military capabilities. Its September Defence Readiness Report said existing national plans remained insufficient to meet the EU’s 2030 readiness goal.
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The EU Council approved five collaborative defence projects covering drones, maritime infrastructure, space, missile defence and its eastern flank.
