Joint EU Defense Boost
EU Approves Five Joint Defense Projects With Ukraine Participating in Four
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EU member states endorsed five joint defence projects covering drones and counter-drone systems, maritime and seabed security, space, air and missile defence, and protection of the bloc’s eastern flank. The projects are part of the €1.5 billion European Defence Industry Programme, with €325 million earmarked for their establishment and implementation; endorsement makes them eligible to move toward funding. An average of 18 member states will participate in each initiative, and Ukraine will join four, sitting out the space project. Ukraine’s role is expected to be particularly significant in drone cooperation, while the air-defence effort addresses a capability gap Kyiv is seeking to close. The initiatives are intended to help countries jointly develop and deploy capabilities that may be too complex or costly to build alone, with EU support for coordination and implementation.
Key Points
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The projects are intended to be long-term efforts extending beyond the current EDIP funding period, and the Commission says additional EU support could continue under the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
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The Commission says the projects are designed to strengthen the European defence industry and improve the EU’s ability to respond to shared security challenges in line with NATO capability priorities.
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EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has put the projects’ combined longer-term funding at about €190 billion by 2036 and described the endorsement as a “major breakthrough” for closing critical defence gaps.
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Kubilius said the projects bring member states together to pool expertise and investment, and focus on areas where Europe needs to move faster to build a stronger, more resilient defence.
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