White Paper for European Defence
STRATEGY2025-02-28
Member States are invited to request the activation of the National Escape Clause by the end of April.
The Council is invited to adopt the proposed draft Regulation on Security and Action for Europe (SAFE) as a matter of urgency.
The co-legislators are invited to adopt the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) before Summer, including its Ukraine Support Instrument (USI).
The co-legislators are invited to consider with priority the changes to the European Regional Development Fund that will by proposed by the end of March 2025. Following the mid-term review of cohesion policies, national, regional and local authorities will be able to voluntarily allocate funds within their current programmes towards emerging priorities including strengthening defence and security capabilities.
Member States are invited to swiftly step up collaborative defence procurement in line with the target of at least 40% proposed by the European Defence Industry Strategy (EDIS), including under the aegis of the SAFE instrument.
Member States are invited to swiftly agree on an ambitious new military support initiative for Ukraine, including artillery ammunition, air defence and ‘train and equip’.
The Commission will promote the integration of Ukrainian defence industry into the Single Market, support the extension of military mobility corridors into Ukraine and explore Ukraine’s access to EU space-based governmental services.
The Commission calls on the Board of Governors of the European Investment Bank to urgently step up support to the European defence industry, notably by further narrowing the list of excluded activities and increasing the volume of available funding.
The Commission will immediately launch a Strategic Dialogue with the defence industry, also calling on the expertise of the EDA or the EU Military Staff as appropriate.
The Commission will present, by June 2025, a Defence Omnibus Simplification proposal.
The EU will present a European Armament Technological Roadmap on investment into dual-use advanced technological capabilities in 2025.
The Commission and the HR will adopt, by end of 2025, a Joint communication on Military Mobility, accompanied by the necessary legislative proposals.
Action items (3)
Public Procurement Reform
Planned for Q2 2026.The Commission will overhaul the EU procurement framework to make public spending a strategic lever for competitiveness, security and innovation. The revision will enable sustainability, resilience and European-preference criteria in strategic sectors, while staying consistent with EU and international commitments. It will simplify and digitise procedures, embed once-only data reuse, curb overspecification, and promote innovation-friendly tools (e.g. outcome-based/R&D purchases, clearer IP clauses). Rules will be consolidated across legislation to ease use by all administrations and open tenders to startups and SMEs. Defence and security procurement will be modernised and cross-border aggregation strengthened to create lead markets and scale.
European Armament Technological Roadmap
Planned for 2025.The roadmap will steer dual-use innovation toward priority capabilities, aligning EU, national and private investment and setting milestones from research to deployment. In its first phase, it will concentrate on AI and quantum (together with cyber and electronic warfare) where advances can transform deterrence and interoperability. The Roadmap will couple tech scouting and testing with common standards and joint procurement pathways, linking to EDIP and the Defence Omnibus to cut fragmentation and speed uptake. It will mobilise EU innovation instruments, including the European Innovation Council and the forthcoming TechEU scale-up vehicle, to crowd in private capital and scale champions.
Defence Readiness Omnibus
The Commission will table a defence-sector omnibus to cut red tape and speed delivery across the European defence industrial base. Measures include cross-certification and mutual recognition of testing, fast-tracked construction and environmental permits, secure handling of confidential data, and easier access to finance, including ESG-sensitive capital. It will streamline EU defence programmes, simplify co-funding, and prepare revisions of defence procurement and intra-EU transfer rules, followed by a faster EDF process. The package also supports security-of-supply and readiness, and leverages Ukraine’s innovative defence ecosystem within Team Europe instruments. Together, it builds a scalable EU-wide market for defence equipment.