EU leaders push for stronger defense readiness by 2030

EU leaders called for a major acceleration of efforts to strengthen Europe’s defense capabilities, saying the bloc must significantly boost its readiness by 2030 in response to mounting security threats and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

In conclusions adopted at a European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday, leaders said Europe’s defense preparedness must be “decisively ramped up” and urged member states to move faster to reduce strategic dependencies, close critical capability gaps and strengthen security across the continent.

The council stressed the importance of protecting all EU land, air and maritime borders, pointing to repeated violations of member states’ airspace and territorial waters linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Leaders "strongly" condemned a May 29 incident in which a Russian drone carrying explosives crashed into a residential building in Romania, describing it as evidence of the immediate threats facing the EU’s eastern flank. The bloc expressed full solidarity with Romania and other member states affected by similar incidents.

The council also condemned recent hybrid attacks against the EU and its member states and called for urgent efforts to strengthen resilience, enhance preparedness and protect critical infrastructure. Leaders welcomed ongoing work on drone and counter-drone security measures aimed at preventing and responding to such threats.

Reaffirming that NATO remains the foundation of collective defense for member states belonging to the alliance, the Council said a stronger European defense capability would complement transatlantic security and contribute positively to global stability.

EU leaders welcomed rising defense expenditures across member states but stressed that higher spending must be matched by greater coordination and joint investment. They highlighted progress in priority areas including air defense, early-warning systems, drone and counter-drone technologies, deep precision strike capabilities and space assets.

The council also underscored the need to strengthen Europe’s defense industrial base, expand production capacity and accelerate implementation of defense initiatives such as the Security Action for Europe instrument and the European Defence Industry Programme.

Leaders said they would revisit defense and security issues in October 2026 based on an annual defense readiness report prepared by the European Defense Agency.