Representatives of EU member states on Wednesday, 16 September, approved at the level of permanent representatives the first five European Defence Projects of Common Interest (EDPCI). Each of them is set to receive €60 million in funding from the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP).
Formal adoption of the list is expected on 28 September at an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in defence ministers format. After that, the projects will be eligible for EU funding.
The approved initiatives cover air and missile defence, maritime security and seabed protection, space, unmanned systems and counter-drone capabilities, as well as monitoring of the EU’s eastern flank. The projects include DECODER (drones and counter-UAV systems), IMSD (integrated maritime defence), SPACE, EU-FIAMD (federated air and missile defence including early warning), and Eastern Flank Watch.
The European Commission put forward this list in July. According to its assessment, an average of about 18 EU countries take part in each project, with Ukraine participating in four of the five. The initiatives are designed as a framework for developing systems that are too costly or complex for individual states to build alone. They are intended to strengthen Europe’s defence industry and close critical capability gaps, taking NATO priorities into account.
EDIP provides €1.5 billion in grants for 2025–2027. Around €300 million is earmarked for mature joint projects, with a further €25 million for less developed proposals. The Commission plans to launch a second call for proposals by the end of April 2027.
The Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU called the decision an important step in the Union’s defence-readiness agenda and stressed that the projects must remain genuinely pan-European in order to reduce market fragmentation and strengthen the industrial base.
