From counter-drone systems to missile warning and eastern-flank defence, five projects will give countries a concrete way to develop and buy capabilities together, opening the door to €325 million in EU funding.
The Council’s approval turns proposals put forward by the Commission in July into the first European Defence Projects of Common Interest. It gives participating countries a framework for developing and buying equipment together. Approval does not mean the equipment is ready or that EU funding has been awarded.
Countries have signed up in different combinations. The drone project brings together 26 EU members, Norway and Ukraine; smaller groups participate in the other initiatives. Ukraine is involved in four of the five, giving it a role in projects intended to strengthen Europe’s long-term defences.
Together we are taking decisive steps to protect space, our skies, our seas, undersea cables and our citizens who depend on them. — Helen McEntee, Minister for Defence of Ireland
“Member states, together with the support of the EU, are joining forces, pooling their expertise and investing together in the capabilities we need,” Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
What the countries plan to build
The drone initiative would support joint purchases of unmanned systems and equipment to stop hostile drones. It also aims to expand European production and establish a network of centres for testing new technology.
A maritime project would connect surveillance and defence systems at sea, including those used to protect undersea cables, pipelines and ports. The space initiative covers satellite communications and intelligence, along with systems that could provide early warning of missile launches. The projects aim “to protect space, our skies, our seas, undersea cables and our citizens who depend on them,” said Irish Defence Minister Helen McEntee.
The air and missile defence project aims to make national systems work together. That includes connecting sensors and command networks so countries can detect incoming threats and coordinate their response. Eastern Flank Watch would combine capabilities such as ground defence, counter-drone systems and military mobility along the EU’s eastern border.
The projects respond to a persistent problem: European countries often develop and buy defence equipment separately, even when they face the same threats. The EU designation is meant to help them coordinate investment and make their systems compatible. Each project will still depend on the countries taking part to carry it through.
The funding is a first step
The Commission has set aside €325 million for these projects under its €1.5 billion European Defence Industry Programme for 2026–27. Monday’s decision makes the five initiatives eligible to receive support for their establishment and initial deployment. Funding decisions will follow separately.
The full ambitions are much larger than that EU allocation. The Commission’s July proposal estimated the overall size of Eastern Flank Watch alone at €60 billion to €100 billion by 2036. That is a projection for the project, not money committed by the Council this week.
The projects were approved at a wider meeting of EU defence ministers that also focused on military support for Ukraine. Ukraine’s defence minister, Evgeniy Khmara, joined remotely to outline urgent battlefield and financial needs. Ministers discussed air-defence deliveries, increased production and the EU mission training Ukrainian forces. The Commission will now help participating governments develop the five longer-term projects and track their progress.
