The EU Council has approved measures to boost defense investment within the European Union budget.
According to the Council’s press service, representatives of EU member states today adopted the Council’s position on a proposal aimed at promoting defense-related investments as part of the ReArm Europe plan — an EU initiative to increase defense spending and strengthen the bloc’s military capabilities.
“With the Council’s agreed position, we want to open key EU programmes to more defence-related investments, and we are enabling a more agile and coordinated effort to strengthen Europe’s Defence Industrial and Technological Base. It is a necessary step towards further boosting the EU’s defence readiness towards 2030,” said Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs of Denmark.
The Council’s decision amends five EU regulations, including the Digital Europe Programme, Horizon Europe, the European Defence Fund, the Connecting Europe Facility, and the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP).
Among other measures, the Council proposed adapting eligibility rules for activities related to dual-use and defense technologies under Horizon Europe, aligning them with other EU instruments in the defense industry.
The next step will be negotiations between the Danish Presidency of the Council and the European Parliament, with the goal of reaching an agreement by the end of the year.
The initiative complements the comprehensive European Defence Readiness Package presented by the European Commission in June 2025, which is currently under consideration by the Council.
Both proposals aim to stimulate defense-related investments and enhance Europe’s defense preparedness, as endorsed by the European Council in March 2025.
