At the EDA Steering Board held in Brussels today, EU Ministers of Defence endorsed the European Defence Agency’s synthesis of projects, actions and proposals for short-term joint acquisitions of defence equipment, in line with the initial list of priority areas set out in the European Council (EUCO) conclusions of 6 March 2025 and the White Paper on European Defence Readiness 2030.
The EDA synthesis underscores the urgent need to enhance readiness and address critical capability gaps and shortfalls. It offers new lines of actions aligned with the agreed priorities, including restoring superiority in the air domain, strengthening land forces, and enhancing strategic enablers. It also emphasises that long term capability development should not be neglected.
Ministers provided strategic guidance on how and where EDA can best support Member States in taking the work forward, in the short term and with a view to longer-term capability development projects. This includes more systematic aggregation of demand, harmonisation of requirements, and joint procurement.
This was the first EDA Ministerial Steering Board chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, in her capacity as Head of the European Defence Agency. It also marked the first Steering Board of André Denk as the Agency’s new Chief Executive.
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