According to the roadmap presented on Thursday, the EU should have a fully operational defense structure by 2030. The priority is on four projects: the European drone defense initiative, protection of the eastern border, development of an air defense system, and a space shield.
The European Commission states that cooperation and joint investments are necessary to avoid fragmentation, high costs, and incompatible systems. By the end of 2027, forty percent of defense procurements should go through joint European contracts. Currently, that share is still below twenty percent.
The plans are fully aligned with NATO. EU officials emphasize that the EU does not view its defense efforts as competition but as a complement to the existing NATO structures. Both organizations aim to be as coordinated as possible to avoid duplicate work and guarantee interoperability.
EU Commissioners Kaja Kallas, Andrius Kubilius, and Chair Ursula von der Leyen called for urgency. They warn that the Russian threat remains, even if the war in Ukraine ends, and that Europe must be able to defend itself amid the increasingly reduced American involvement.
The European Commission wants to achieve deterrence through rapid development and production of new weapons systems. Russia and Belarus are explicitly named in the plan as the greatest threats. Building an effective drone and missile defense should make European airspace safer.
For implementation, the Commission is providing a financial framework of 150 billion euros in loans. However, the majority of expenditures must come from national defense budgets, for which the Commission temporarily offers more budgetary flexibility through special escape clauses.
Protection of the eastern border is prioritized alongside the drone defense project. This program, called Eastern Flank Watch, aims to strengthen land, sea, and air surveillance. The first capacity is expected by the end of next year, with full operational deployment in 2028.
The 27 EU countries retain control over what is developed, procured, and executed. The European Commission coordinates progress and annually checks whether the agreed goals are met. The government leaders will discuss the newly launched plan next week during a summit in Brussels.