The European Commission has taken a significant step toward ending the long-standing fragmentation of European defence procurement by unveiling five major joint projects. Announced on Friday, the initiatives aim to pool resources and expertise across 18 member states—plus Ukraine—in areas ranging from drone warfare to space-based defence.
Five Pillars of Joint Defence
The projects target critical capability gaps: drones and counter-drone systems, maritime and seabed defence, space-based assets, air power, and missile defence. Special emphasis is placed on bolstering the eastern flank, where nine countries from Finland to Bulgaria face heightened risks from drone incursions and other hybrid threats. The Commission has allocated €325 million to support the establishment and deployment of these projects, with Ukraine participating in four of the five.
European Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, stressed the urgency: "There is a real need to move faster, produce together and invest in security. And that is exactly what we are doing."
Persistent Fragmentation
The announcement follows renewed warnings from the European Defence Agency (EDA) that member states continue to buy military equipment largely on their own. According to a recent EDA report, collaborative procurement accounted for just 24 percent of defence investment in 2025 and remains "unevenly distributed" across countries and capability areas. The agency noted that national approaches still dominate procurement decisions, while equipment acquisition and replacement cycles are "largely unsynchronised," limiting opportunities for joint investment.
This fragmentation has real consequences. Last month, the long-hailed Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet programme collapsed after major commercial disputes between Dassault and Airbus, the two industrial giants behind it. The failure underscores the difficulty of aligning national industrial interests with collective European goals.
Despite that setback, European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño last week announced a record-breaking €3 billion loan for Airbus to boost its commercial projects. Calviño described the loan as evidence that Europe is "ramping up its capacity and strategic autonomy."
Strategic Autonomy and Funding Ambitions
Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius framed the five projects as a cornerstone of Europe's long-term security architecture. "With a combined funding ambition of around €190 billion by 2036, they will play a key role in strengthening the member states' capabilities and keep Europe and Europeans safe," he said.
The Commission's push comes just days before the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where Ukraine is expected to press for immediate air defence deliveries. The timing underscores the broader geopolitical context: Russia's war in Ukraine has exposed critical gaps in European defence readiness, particularly in joint procurement and rapid deployment.
Earlier this year, the EU's defence chief warned that budget cuts undermine security ambitions, while the European Budget Commissioner cautioned frugal states against further cuts. These tensions highlight the delicate balance between fiscal discipline and strategic investment.
The five projects represent a concrete attempt to move beyond rhetoric. Whether they can overcome the entrenched national habits that have long plagued European defence cooperation remains to be seen. But for now, the Commission is betting that joint action—and a clear funding roadmap—can finally turn the tide.
