What the EU does
These last few years have been a sharp reminder about how fragile peace is. They have also been a wakeup call for Europe to give itself the means to protect itself and deter potential adversaries. That is why the European Commission is prioritising building a true European defence union, where we spend more, spend better, and spend together.
The EU’s main defence policy objectives are to strengthen the competitiveness and innovation of the European defence industry by
- helping Member States rebuild, replenish, and transform national armed forces by building upon the existing defence industrial programmes
- helping pool resources and counter common threats through flagship European defence projects
- developing a single market for defence products and services
Areas of action
Towards full defence readiness by 2030
Commission's instrument to support research and development in defence
A vision for the European defence industrial policy until 2035
Report by Special Adviser Niinistö
Enabling ramp-up of ammunition production capacity across Europe
Measures to address challenges faced by the European defence industry
Incentivising cooperation in defence procurement between EU countries
Within the EDF, EUDIS supports innovators to scale-up and enter the market
EU’s support for Ukraine's economy, society, and future reconstruction
Key achievements
- With the European Defence Fund and key new legislation, we are mobilising Europe's defence industry to manufacture more of our security at home.
- We presented the European defence industrial strategy (EDIS) and the European defence industry programme (EDIP), ensuring that when it comes to defence, we invest more, better, together, and European.
- In 2024, €300 million in funding have been allocated to five joint defence-procurement (EDIRPA) projects by Member States, the first time the EU uses its budget to finance common defence buying.
- We have reinforced our partnership with NATO. Through a new Joint Declaration, we are boosting our common work on hybrid threats, cyber, terrorism, and the security implications of climate change. Moreover, the EU and NATO set up a Task Force on resilience of critical infrastructure to strengthen cooperation with a focus on four key sectors: energy, transport, digital infrastructure and space.
In focus
AGILE, a new €115 million pilot funding tool, will bring disruptive defence technology from the lab to the field at record speed. It will accelerate the development and testing of disruptive defence innovations and their market uptake for small and medium-sized enterprises, including startups and tech innovators. It will aim to award grants within four months and for technologies to reach defence forces between 1-3 years. AGILE will be fully aligned with the most pressing needs of EU countries and will ensure that European defence is not just innovative, but ready to respond to any threat at a moment's notice.
Latest news
For 25 years, European countries have been joining forces to save lives when disasters strike under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. This is one of the best examples of European solidarity in action.
The European Commission is releasing €22.5 million in humanitarian aid to Yemen, in addition to the €87.5 million previously allocated for 2026, to address the consequences of the renewed conflict escalation and the critical needs of millions of people.
Events
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This page was last updated on 25 March 2026