The European Commission presented the first-ever European Defense Industrial Strategy (EDIS) at the EU level to support the competitiveness and readiness of the bloc’s defense industry, the commission’s press service announced on March 5.
The news comes amid worries in Europe that the U.S. may not be a reliable partner for European security and in backing Ukraine if Donald Trump wins the upcoming presidential election.
The performance of the European defense industry, especially when it comes to supporting Ukraine, has been lackluster, as the EU failed on its promise to deliver 1 million artillery shells between March 2023 and 2024. After supplying only about half of the promised rounds, Brussels shifted the deadline to the end of this year.
The EDIS outlines the challenges currently faced by the European Defense Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) as well as opportunities to fully exploit its potential and determines a direction for the next decade, according to a press release published by the bloc’s executive body.
"To increase European defense industrial readiness, Member States need to invest more, better, together, and European," says the release.
As the first urgent and primary tool for implementing the strategy, the commission is reportedly tabling a legislative proposal on the European Defense Industry Program (EDIP) and a set of measures to ensure the timely availability and supply of defense products.
Francis Farrell
EDIP will mobilize 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) from the EU budget in 2025-2027 to improve the competitiveness of the European defense industry. The program is expected to shift the short-term emergency measures introduced in 2023 and ending in 2025 to a more structured and long-term approach.
As part of the strategy, the commission proposes developing closer ties with Ukraine through its participation in the bloc’s initiatives to support the defense industry and stimulating cooperation between the EU and Ukrainian defense sectors.
EU member states are also offered to purchase at least 40% of defense equipment jointly by 2030, ensure that by 2030, the value of intra-European defense trade is at least 35% of the value of the EU defense market, and "make steady progress" toward procuring at least half of its defense budget within the EU by 2030 and 60% by 2035.
Euractiv previously reported on the European Commission’s plans to present a defense industry support scheme envisaging Ukraine as a full-fledged member.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Feb. 29 calling on EU member states to support Ukraine with "whatever is needed for Kyiv to win its war against Russia," including long-range weapons.
Alexander Khrebet
