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Questions and answers on the Defence Package: White Paper for European Defence - Readiness 2030

European Commission

Questions and answers
Mar 18, 2025
Brussels

What are the main objectives of the White Paper?

The White Paper frames a new approach to defence and identifies investment needs to close critical capability gaps and build a strong defence industrial base.

It sets out the necessary steps to build up the European defence, by:

• Providing unwavering support to Ukraine;
• Closing Europe's defence capability gaps for the Member States' Armed Forces;
• Strengthening the European defence industry;
• Preparing the EU for the most extreme military contingencies;
• Enhancing security through partnerships. The White Paper also aims at illustrating the EU's added value in its defence industrial initiatives and bringing forward new, ambitious proposals.

White Paper as a step towards a European Defence Union: What does that mean concretely?

The European Defence Union reflects the EU's ambition to enhance cooperation in defence and leverage the added value offered by the EU and the Single Market.

It is an integratory and incremental process. The implementation of proposals reflected in the White Paper and the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 will contribute to this objective.

The concept fully acknowledges that Member States are and will remain in the driving seat for defence, from doctrine to deployment.

How does the White Paper relate to other priorities?

This Commission has put Defence on the top of the European agenda, as illustrated by. President von der Leyen's political guidelines and mission letters for the High Representative/Vice-President and the Commissioners.

An effective defence sector is not only key for our security, but also an important contributor to overall economic competitiveness and growth.

As indicated by the Draghi report, innovation in the defence sector will be key to re-launch our competitiveness and enable positive spillovers in the civilian sector.

Peace and security is a prerequisite for economic stability and continued prosperity within the EU. The defence industry being a driver of innovation, job creation, and economic growth.

A strong defence sector supports EU autonomy, industrial competitiveness, and overall resilience.

Defence investment aligns with broader EU goals, including technological advancements and social cohesion through industrial jobs creation.

How does the EU add value to defence and security?

Existing EU programmes and initiatives have already displayed their potential:

• Total EU investment in defence research and development accounts for €8 billion (2021-2027) with the Commission having already committed €5.4 billion since the start of the European Defence Fund.
• €513 million has been leveraged for ramping up ammunition production (ASAP), with EU annual shell production capacity projected to reach 2 million by the end of 2025.
• €310 million having been already allocated for common procurement of defence platforms and systems (EDIRPA).

The EU boosts defence cooperation through efficiency gains, encouraging solidarity and generating cross-border cooperation. Each project of the European Defence Fund brings on average 17 entities from 8 Member States, for instance.

The EU's action in defence supports the development of critical capabilities that Member States alone would not finance, therefore contributing to Europe's sovereignty and fulfilment of Member States' NATO targets. The Commissions actions in defence create an incentive for Member States to align their national defence planning, converging towards common capability development and promoting long-term budgetary planning.

The EU's action in defence also adds value in ensuring a consistent approach in making sure that systems and platforms work for all Member States. EU defence industry programmes promote interoperability and standardisation. They can foster the implementation of NATO standards when they exist or initiate pre-standardisation with EU industry where are no existing standards.

The EU's actions in defence take advantage of the size of the EU domestic defence market to create both economic growth through cross-border business opportunities and economies of scale.

The European Defence Agency helps Member States to identify capability shortfalls and priorities at EU level. It supports Member States in initiating new capability projects, starting with harmonisation of requirements. It supports the aggregation of demand and can undertake joint procurement on behalf of Member States.

Is this the beginning of the EU Army?

Nothing in the White Paper nor in the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 relates to the foundation of an EU army. This is not an objective of the European Commission or of the Union more generally.

Furthermore, all initiatives reflected in the Defence Package aim at strengthening national Armed Forces, improving their interoperability in line with NATO standards.

Member States will always be responsible for their armed forces. Defence is and will remain a national prerogative.

How does the White Paper help Ukraine?

The Defence Package helps Ukraine by outlining concrete ways in which the EU and its Member States can step up support to Kyiv, so that the latter can achieve a just and lasting peace.

The White Paper outlines a vision to increase direct military assistance and to associate Ukraine in its development and procurement of defence capabilities.

Integration of the Ukrainian defence industry into the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base is also part of the overall ambition. This will be supported through the eligibility of Ukrainian defence firms under the SAFE procurements, alongside the industries of EU Member States, as well as the adoption and implementation of the Ukraine Support Instrument under EDIP and the expansion of the mandate and staff of the EU Defence Innovation Office.

How does the White Paper support the European Defence and Technological Industrial Base?

The White Paper recognises the European defence industry as a strategic resource. It proposes the following ways to support it:

• A massive industrial production ramp-up to address the critical capability gaps identified.
• Simplification, harmonisation of rules which can ease and speed up industrial defence production. For this the Commission will propose a Defence Omnibus Simplification regulation and a strategy to deepen the EU-wide Market for defence products and services.

What is the Defence Industry Output Plan?

The Defence Industry Output Plan is a document that will be issued by the Commission, in close coordination with the European External Action Service, the European Defence Agency, Member States and defence industry.

The plan would provide European defence industry with an increased demand predictability and allow the EU to better tailor and target its support measures.

This document will outline industrial production targets to address identified capability gaps as well as identify priority areas for industrial investment.

The identified needs may receive EU support, i.e. incentives for common procurement under EDIP or the SAFE instrument and incentives for production ramp-up under EDIP.

The EU Military Staff and the European Defence Agency will provide their expertise to this process, e.g. as regards capability shortfalls, aggregation of demand and harmonisation of requirements, and joint procurement.

What is the Single Market for Defence?

A Genuine Single Market for defence could be described as a market where purchasing across borders within the EU is seen as equivalent to purchasing nationally. And this at the level of both final users but also across the supply chains.

Building a true Single Market for defence products would allow the EU defence industry to benefit from a bigger market, gaining in efficiency but also improving access to innovation.

This however requires Member states to cooperate more and refrain from following exclusively national approaches that are at the origin of the fragmentation of the market.

The Defence Package offers a strategy to achieve a true Single Market for defence, encompassing both defence procurement and intra-EU technology transfers.

How does the White Paper relate to the Strategic Compass, EDIS and EDIP?

The European Defence Industrial Strategy stemmed from the need to have a more structured approach to support defence industry.

The White Paper has a much broader scope focusing on the future of European defence. It is meant to frame a new approach towards defence and help readying Member States for the most extreme military contingencies.

It builds on EDIS (e.g. The need the objective to spend more, better, together and European) as well as the Strategic Compass and the Defence Investment Gaps Analysis. However, it will go beyond that to pave the way towards a European Defence Union.

How would the White Paper impact the relation with NATO?

The closer and more synchronised the international cooperation, the more effective our response will be.

The European Union will continue working closely with NATO and our partners in NATO, just as we have done over the years.

What will happen after the publication of the White Paper?

The White Paper opens a new strategic sequence on how to bring forward European Defence. It will be the basis for in-depth discussions with Member States and relevant stakeholders.

The European Council is expected to deliberate on proposals at its upcoming meetings, on 21 March and 26-27 June, which should lead to concrete commitments to materialise the vision outlined in the White Paper.

The European Commission will urgently proceed with initiatives proposed by the White Paper, such as the Defence Omnibus regulation.