EU Council gives final approval to €1.5 billion European Defence Industry Programme to strengthen readiness.

On 8 December 2025, the Council of the European Union formally adopted the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), marking the final legislative step towards its implementation. EDIP is designed to boost the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) by enhancing competitiveness, responsiveness, and the timely availability of defence products across the Union. The adoption of the programme demonstrates the EU’s strengthened commitment to defence readiness in a rapidly evolving security environment.

Under the programme, the EU will allocate €1.5 billion in grants for the period 2025-2027, aiming to support joint actions that reinforce defence industrial capabilities and address critical capability gaps.

EDIP will fund common procurement actions involving multiple EU countries, promoting collaborative industrial projects and collective capability development. It will also support industrial reinforcement actions to ramp up production capacity for essential defence products and facilitate access to the defence market for SMEs, mid-caps, and start-ups, thereby fostering innovation and competitiveness within Europe’s defence sector.

This programme builds on earlier defence initiatives and represents a landmark step in consolidating Europe’s Defence Industry Strategy and enhancing collective preparedness for current and future security challenges.

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