Commission and High Representative present new Defence Roadmap to strengthen European defence capabilities

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the Commission and the High Representative have proposed to EU Member States the ‘Preserving Peace – Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030‘, a comprehensive plan to strengthen European defence capabilities.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “The recent threats have shown that Europe is at risk. We have to protect every citizen and square centimetre of our territory. And Europe must respond with unity, solidarity and determination. Today’s Defence Roadmap presents a clear plan with shared goals and concrete milestones on our path to 2030. Because only what gets measured gets done. Moving from plans to action, the Roadmap proposes four European Flagships: the European Drone Defence Initiative, the Eastern Flank Watch, the European Air Shield, and the European Space Shield. This will strengthen our defence industries, accelerate production and maintain our long-standing support to Ukraine.”

As requested by the European Council in June, the Defence Roadmap outlines clear objectives and milestones to close capability gaps, accelerate defence investments across Member States, and guide the EU’s progress towards full defence readiness by 2030. Strengthening Europe’s defence also means standing firmly with Ukraine.

European Readiness Flagships

To act swiftly where a joint approach is most effective, the Defence Roadmap proposes four initial European Readiness Flagships: The European Drone Defence Initiative, the Eastern Flank Watch, the European Air Shield, and the European Space Shield. These will reinforce Europe’s ability to deter and defend across land, air, sea, cyber, and space while contributing directly to NATO capability targets.

Readiness through Capability Coalitions

Achieving full defence readiness means ensuring that Member States’ armed forces can anticipate, prepare for, and respond to any crisis, including high-intensity conflict. The roadmap calls on Member States to complete the formation of Capability Coalitions in nine key areas — to close critical capability gaps through joint development and procurement.

These are air & missile defence; strategic enablers; military mobility; artillery systems; cyber, AI, electronic warfare; missile & ammunition; drones & counter-drones; ground combat; and maritime.

A strong, resilient and technologically innovative EU defence industrial base

Closing gaps requires an EU defence industry that can deliver the capabilities that Member States need at the necessary scale and speed. The full potential of innovation for defence, including Ukrainian solutions, should be tapped. The resilience of defence supply chains should be secured, including by reducing critical dependencies in raw materials and other critical inputs.

Boosting defence investment

A simplified and integrated European defence equipment market is key for scaling up production, achieving economies of scale, and driving innovation. By 2030, the goal is to establish a genuine EU-wide market with harmonised rules that enable industry to deliver at speed and volume. The Commission will track industrial capacity — starting with air and missile defence, drones, and space systems — to ensure Europe can meet its most urgent needs.

The roadmap follows the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, a major boost in public and private investment, which gives Member States greater financial flexibility to strengthen production and readiness. The European Commission and the High Representative will present this roadmap to the European Council, including the proposals for pan-European flagship projects that will guide Europe to full defence readiness by 2030.

The roadmap also sets out plans to establish an EU-wide military mobility area by 2027, with harmonised rules and a network of land, air, and sea routes to move troops and equipment swiftly across Europe. Developed in close coordination with NATO, this will strengthen Europe’s ability to respond rapidly to crises.

Background

In March 2025, the Commission and the High Representative put forward the joint White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 complemented by the Commission’s ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, an ambitious defence package providing financial levers to EU Member States to drive an investment surge in defence capabilities.

The activation of the national escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact for defence purposes together with the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) loan form the backbone of the ReArm Europe Plan / Readiness 2030, enabling Member States to substantially and rapidly scale up their investments in European defence.

In June 2025, the European Council invited the Commission and the High Representative to present a roadmap to review progress on the White Paper and discuss the next steps in the implementation of its defence readiness objective.

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