Defence: European Council pushes for joint acceleration in industrial development efforts

Brussels – European defence: doing everything possible together against the “existential” threat coming from Russia, but saving national prerogatives. The Heads of State and Government of the Union, meeting in Brussels at the European Council, adopted lengthy conclusions on the chapter that is changing the very way the EU exists. 

It was decided to act “swiftly and on a large scale, so that Europe is better equipped to act and deal with immediate and future challenges and threats in an autonomous, coordinated and comprehensive manner.” It all stems from there, from Russia’s “war of aggression against Ukraine,” the repercussions of which “constitute an existential challenge for the European Union.”
In view of the plans presented by the Commission to be fully prepared to respond to attacks by 2030, the European Council invites member states “to take work forward on all priority capability areas identified at EU level, with the support of the European Defence Agency (EDA) and on the basis of a coherent overall approach, based on the Strategic Compass, so that Europe develops the full range of modern capabilities needed, in full coherence with NATO.” 

The key to this work is “the process of building capability coalitions in all priority areas and taking forward concrete projects to be launched in the first half of 2026.” The goal is to reduce “strategic dependencies”, to close “critical capability gaps” and to “accordingly strengthen the European defence technological and industrial base throughout the Union, so as to be able to better deliver equipment in the quantities and at the pace required.” According to the Council, this effort, as indeed past war efforts have shown, “will also contribute to strengthening European industrial and technological competitiveness, including for SMEs.” 

In view of the drone flights that violated EU airspace, the heads of state and government warned that “immediate threats on the EU’s eastern flank and the provision of concrete support to member states must be addressed as a priority,” but without forgetting the rest of the EU’s borders, as the Italian government also demanded. 

The Council repeatedly insists on the need for “close cooperation among member states to strengthen their defence and security capabilities comprehensively.” In this context, “it is also essential to improve the resilience, security, and protection of critical infrastructure, including energy, digital, and submarine infrastructure.” 

The Council calls to “focus in particular on concrete projects to strengthen the joint efforts of Member States to enhance their air defence and anti-drone capabilities in a coordinated manner,” but also to “accelerate the joint development of space assets and services that serve security and defence purposes.” Let us work together as much as possible, the leaders recommend, because “aggregation of demand on the basis of standardised requirements and economies of scale are key to ensuring predictability for industry, reducing costs, and promoting interoperability.” They also call for continued industrial cooperation with Ukraine, accelerating towards its “integration and contribution to the European defence industry, in particular with regard to defence innovation and cutting-edge defence technologies.” 

For political oversight, the Council calls for intensified meetings between defence ministers and asks the “appropriately strengthened” European Defence Agency to provide an annual status report. 

Recalling the need to “substantially increase defence and security expenditure,” the European Council welcomes the Commission’s work on bureaucratic simplification and invites it “to present new proposals on the subject as soon as possible.” 

Finally, the European Council “welcomes the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) efforts to intensify, simplify, and accelerate its support for European security and defence capabilities” and “encourages” it to “further explore ways to finance industries and companies and to help start-ups grow in the security and defence sector in Europe.”