The European Commission welcomes Member States’ decision to endorse the first five European Defence Projects of Common Interest (EDPCIs). These projects will strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities by developing key military systems together. Following today’s decision, the defence projects can now move towards funding.
Under the pound 1.5 billion European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), the Commission has allocated pound 325 million to support the establishment and deployment of the EDPCIs. Today’s decision is a key deliverable of EDIP, which aims to support Europe’s defence industry in ramping up production capacity, as well as contribute to the development of military capabilities critical for the security and defence interests of the Union and its Member States.
The industrial projects focus on five priority areas:
drones and counter-drone systems;
maritime and seabed defence;
space;
air and missile defence;
as well as strengthening security along the EU’s Eastern Flank.
They come in response to a Commission call for expression of interest to Member States to submit project proposals for possible EDPCIs.
EDPCIs are large-scale industrial projects which provide a framework for Member States to work together on major defence initiatives that are too large or too complex for individual countries to develop on their own. By supporting long-term cooperation, they will strengthen Europe’s defence industry and improve the EU’s ability to respond to shared security challenges, in line with NATO capability priorities. The projects are designed to cover the full journey of the capability development to its deployment and operation.
Next steps
The Commission will now work closely with participating Member States to support the implementation of the projects and monitor progress towards their agreed objectives and milestones.
The EDPCIs are designed as long-term projects that will extend beyond the current EDIP funding period. Other EDPCIs may be identified in the future, alongside the ones identified today. Union support may continue under the next Multiannual Financial Framework, including through the proposed European Competitiveness Fund.
Background
On 3 July 2025, the Commission made a Proposal for a Council Implementing Decision on the establishment of European Projects of Common Interest, delivering on the objectives of EDIP to modernise Europe’s defence industry.
The EDIP Regulation introduces the establishment of EDPCIs as future ambitious collaborative industrial projects aimed to benefit a broader part of the EU and open also to Norway and Ukraine.
On average, 18 Member States participate in each project, and Ukraine participates in four of the five projects. The Commission is expected to take part in the EDPCIs, provide financial support and continue to help Member States coordinate their implementation. It will also monitor progress against agreed milestones to support the timely delivery of the EDPCIs projects.
For more information
Proposal for a Council Implementing Decision on the establishment of European Projects of Common Interest
Factsheet on Drone and Counter Drone European Resolve
Factsheet on Integrated Maritime and Seabed Defence
Factsheet on Space
Factsheet on EU Federated Integrated Air and Missile Defence including Early Warning
Factsheet on Eastern Flank Watch
European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP)
Factsheet: European Defence – Protect What Matters
Quote(s)
Europe is facing growing threats. Responding effectively requires close cooperation between Member States and the EU as a whole. The five projects are a great example of such cooperation. They will help to modernise Europe’s defence industry, reinforce our industrial base, and deepen European defence cooperation. Europe stands ready to match its words with action.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
Today’s decision shows that Europe can be ambitious and deliver on its promises. Member States, together with the support of the EU, are joining forces, pooling their expertise and investing together in the capabilities we need. From drones and air defence to space, maritime, and the security of our Eastern Flank and the European Union as a whole, the five projects focus on the areas where we need to move faster to build a stronger, more resilient European defence.
Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space
(For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel: +32 2 299 10 99; Katerina Horáková – Tel.: +32 2 299 93 10)
EU trade agreements continue to benefit European businesses
The EU’s growing network of trade agreements helps European businesses to access new export markets and creates a more predictable trade and investment environment, according to a report published today. The sixth Annual Report on the Implementation and Enforcement of EU Trade and Economic Security Policy, covering the year 2025, concludes that EU trade agreements play a crucial role in increasing the resilience and competitiveness of EU operators.
Preferential trade works
At the end of 2025, the EU had in place 44 preferential trade agreements with 76 countries, representing 46.3% of the EU’s external trade. Trade in goods with these partner countries grew faster than the EU’s total trade with other third countries: 3.1% growth compared to 1,4%. In 2025, EU agri-food exports to countries with a trade agreement increased by 4.6%, while those to non-preferential partners fell by 3.6%.
The EU-Chile Interim Trade Agreement (ITA) illustrates the immediate and positive impact that a new trade agreement can have. Total bilateral trade amounted to pound 20.8 billion in the first 11 months since its entry into force on 1 February 2025, 3% higher year-on-year. EU exports of machinery and appliances grew by 9%, chemical products by 8%, and optical and photographic instruments by 17%.
Through a continued focus on the successful implementation of EU trade agreements, the Commission, in close cooperation with Member States and businesses, was able to get 20 barriers to trade fully or partially removed in 14 partner countries. This helps to improve market access for EU operators.
Strengthening the EU’s geopolitical presence
EU trade agreements continue to strengthen the EU’s geopolitical presence in a challenging international environment. Over the reporting period, EU goods exports to FTA partners increased by pound 250 billion, helping to compensate for reduced exports of goods to Russia, which fell by pound 54.5 billion during that time.
In 2025, EU trade agreements again played a significant role in providing stable import sources of raw materials and energy products of strategic importance to the EU economy:
Preferential partners supply a quarter of the EU’s critical raw materials imports. For example, between 2024 and 2025, EU critical raw materials imports from Canada increased by 62% in value terms to reach pound 3.3 billion.
The EU’s trade agreements with resource-rich partners such as Canada and Chile have facilitated imports of mineral products. Between 2024 and 2025, imports of mineral products from Canada increased by 14% (in value terms) to reach pound 6.1 billion: continuing a trend observed since 2022. Over a quarter of the EU’s mineral product imports now come from Canada. Since the entry into force of the EU-Chile ITA in February 2025, EU imports of mineral products have grown by 33%.
The EU currently has 45 trade agreements in place, covering 81 preferential trade partners.
Moreover, the EU continues to expand its network of trade agreements:
2025 and the first half of 2026 saw the EU conclude trade agreements with Mercosur (provisionally in force since 1 May 2026), Mexico, Indonesia, India, Australia, and the four Eastern and Southern African countries (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles). Together, they will increase the EU’s share of preferential trade to 53.3%.
The EU is currently negotiating trade agreements with Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, as well as seeking to widen its network of trade agreements in recent years the EU has pursued other forms of engagement with partner countries, notably digital trade agreements with Singapore and Korea, a Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement with Angola, and a Clean Trade and Investment Partnership with South Africa.
Background
This report on the implementation and enforcement of EU trade and economic security policy in 2025 provides an update on the EU’s main activities and achievements, steered by the European Commission’s Chief Trade Enforcement Officer. The report showcases the impacts of the removal of trade barriers and resolution of disputes in third-country trading partners, including with the help of dispute settlement and the EU’s strengthened toolbox of autonomous enforcement instruments. It also highlights efforts to promote the advantages of EU trade agreements for key stakeholders such as small and medium-sized enterprises, notably through the Access2Markets portal.
For more information
Report
Key facts
Brochure on the report
General trade statistics for FTA partners
Preference utilisation on EU imports 2023-2025
Preference utilisation and duty savings on EU exports 2023-2025
Utilisation rate of TRQs opened by the EU to third countries
Utilisation rate of TRQs opened by third countries to the EU
Barriers resolved in 2025
New barriers registered in 2025
FAQ on preference utilisation rates (PUR), duty savings and tariff rate quotas (TQR)
Previous versions of the EU’s FTA implementation reports
Quote(s)
For EU business, trade agreements, when effectively implemented and enforced, open new opportunities in some of the world’s largest and fast-growing markets and make their supply chains more resilient. From a political perspective, these agreements are also a key element in pursuing the Union’s economic security strategy, by securing access to critical inputs, such as energy and critical raw materials, and reducing our dependencies in times of rising geopolitical challenges. We currently have 45 trade agreements in place with 81 countries, and we are actively expanding our network in order to deliver even more benefits for our businesses and consumers.
Maroš Šefcovic, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency
(For more information: Olof Gill – Tel.: +32 2 296 59 66; Marta Perez-Cejuela Romero – Tel.: +32 2 296 37 70)
EU agri-food expands trade surplus in first half of 2026
The EU agri-food sector expanded its positive trade balance in the first seven months of 2026, the latest EU agri-food trade report published by the European Commission shows. With a cumulative surplus of pound 30.1 billion, the balance is pound 2.9 billion higher than for the same period last year.
There was notable growth in the value of exports of EU agri-foods to several countries recorded between January and July. Exports to Egypt increased by 22%, driven mainly by wheat; exports to Ukraine rose by 10%, with the largest increase in spirits; and those to Trkiye by 7%, driven by veal and beef. Exports of other animal products increased by pound 549 million, about 11%, while spirits and liqueurs rose by pound 470 million.
Cumulative imports of agri-foods in the EU reached pound 108.6 billion, down pound 4.5 billion year-on-year. Import values from major cocoa-producing countries declined as cocoa prices continued to fall. The value of imports from Côte d’Ivoire fell by 21%, while the value of imports from Cameroon and Nigeria both decreased by 46%. Among product categories, imports of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices fell by pound 4.8 billion, a 19% decrease, while the value of cereal imports declined 11%, and dairy imports by 19%. By contrast, the value of imports of fruit and nuts increased by pound 587 million (about 3%), while the value of imports of non-edible products for technical use and margarine and other oils and fats also recorded increases.
More insights as well as detailed tables are available online.
(For more information: Louise Bogey – Tel.: +32 229-69776; Paula Clara Ritter-Moschtz – Tel.: +32 2 296 40 83)
President von der Leyen to open Connecting Europe Days 2026
Today marks the start of Connecting Europe Days 2026, the European Commission’s flagship event for transport and mobility, taking place from 28 September to 1 October in Brussels. It will bring together leading politicians, industry representatives and the Commission to discuss key transport issues and their role in boosting Europe’s competitiveness, connectivity and resilience, including military mobility and defence, across the 27-member bloc and beyond.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will deliver a speech during the opening ceremony tomorrow at 14.00 CEST. You can follow it live on EBS+.
Ahead of the opening ceremony, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: ‘Transport turns the promise of a connected Europe into an everyday experience. We want to build the transport system Europe will need for the decades ahead and create a true Transport Union. To connect our people. And for our competitiveness and resilience. Today, we are reinforcing the transport infrastructure on which our economy and communities depend.’
Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas will host the four-day event filled with debates, plenary sessions, and exhibitions. Highlights will be live streamed.
In an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment, the Connecting Europe Days will examine how transport policy can help complete the Trans-European Transport Network, remove its remaining bottlenecks, strengthen transport resilience and military mobility, as well as secure investments for infrastructure. Discussions and debates will also focus on Europe’s maritime sector, in line with the new EU Ports and Industrial Maritime Strategies, as well as ways to improve passenger connectivity, including through Commission initiatives such as the High-Speed Rail Plan and the Passenger Package.
Commissioner Tzitzikostas will take part in several sessions and special events, including the signature of a new Action Plan to boost cross-border cooperation on key transport links between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. He will also attend the ‘Connecting Europe by Air’ event with the Irish Presidency of the Council of EU.
Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto will speak at the plenary session focused on mobilising investment for Europe’s transport infrastructure, including through the Connecting Europe Facility, Cohesion Policy and the future National and Regional Partnership Plans, on Wednesday. Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius will discuss military mobility, transport capabilities, military needs and emerging threats in a high-level panel tomorrow.
More information on the Connecting Europe Days is available online.
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Anni Juusola – Tel.: +32 2 296 09 86)
Commissioner Zaharieva in Munich to boost Europe’s startup and research agenda
Today, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva begins a two-day visit to Munich centred on boosting the EU’s strategy for startups, scaleups, research and innovation. The visit underlines the central role of research and innovation in Europe’s competitiveness, with a particular focus on helping startups and innovative firms grow and scale in Europe.
Commissioner Zaharieva is taking part in the Bits and Pretzels Founders Festival, where she will deliver a keynote speech, meet participants at the startup exhibition and the hackathon winners, and join a roundtable with European founders and investors. She will also participate in the first ‘FoRum – Friends of Research’ international ministers’ conference hosted by German Federal Minister Dorothee Bär. The conference will include a ministerial roundtable on Germany’s high-tech agenda.
Tomorrow, the Commissioner will visit UnternehmerTUM, one of Europe’s leading innovation and entrepreneurship centres, ahead of a working lunch with Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder.
Discussions during the visit will include the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, the proposed EU Inc. harmonised corporate legal regime, the Scaleup Europe Fund, the European Innovation Act, and broader efforts to improve the conditions for innovation in Europe.
Munich and Bavaria provide a strong backdrop for these discussions. Bavaria is one of Europe’s leading innovation regions, with regional research and development investment reaching 3.39% of GDP in 2024. The region boasts strong participation in Horizon Europe, and strategic strengths in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, aerospace, mobility and clean innovation.