The EU's Commitment to Increased Defense Spending

Upholding peace in Europe lies at the heart of the European project. For the EU and its Member States, that means taking greater responsibility for our own defense. The latest part of that effort is the White Paper for European Defense – Readiness 2030, which was unveiled by the European Commission in March 2025. The plan calls for a more than $910 million investment in new weapons and technology by the end of the decade.

EU Defense Night is the European Union Delegation’s annual flagship convening in Washington, D.C., showcasing the EU’s expanding role in the defense domain. Now in its third year, it brings together hundreds of national and state policymakers, defense and space industry leaders, investors and venture capitalists, policy experts, and media from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss opportunities in European defense and space production, as well as EU-U.S. defense and security cooperation.

In 2026, as the EU is preparing a new European Security Strategy, the EU Delegation will partner with industry stakeholders, and the European Investment Bank Group to spotlight emerging defense initiatives enabled by the new EU instruments and EU Member State financial commitments. The event will highlight opportunities for business collaboration, explore cutting-edge technologies and lessons learned from Ukraine, and reaffirm the importance of EU-U.S. partnership.

See more from the 2024 and 2025 editions.

"Europe is preparing to take responsibility for it's own defense. You asked us to do that, and finally we are moving ahead.

"Second, I want to tell you, that we are recognizing that you, Americans, have the right and the reason in the longer term perspective to start to shift more and more towards the Indo-Pacific in order to mitigate Chinese rising military power.

"And you have the right to ask us to take responsibility on European defense.

"We, Europeans, need to accept such an American position as logical, and that is the reason why we need to take our own logical conclusion - we need to be ready to take such a responsibility. Especially when we see that the Russians are becoming more and more aggressive.

"It means that we Europeans need to ramp up our defense capabilities. That is what we are doing. Not only because the Americans have been demanding us to do so since long ago, but also  because we see a clear and present danger of the possibility of Putin's aggression."

Read the full speech here.

In an opinion piece published in Defense News, EU Ambassador to the United States Jovita Neliupšienė discusses why the EU is committed to defense spending, arguing that “Europe now finds itself facing dangers on a scale that we have not seen since the Cold War, and Europe must take charge in mounting its own defense.”

Read why the Ambassador believes this investment signals a win for American industry and the impact she believes it will have on transatlantic relations.

At the heart of the EU’s commitment to defense spending is investment in state-of-the-art equipment that prepares the continent for future threats. That includes drones and counter drone-systems, air and missile defence capabilities, as well as investment in AI, quantum, cyber, and electronic warfare capabilities. You can learn more about the EU’s defense proposals and read the Q&A on the White Paper.

Did you know that the European Union is the top customer of the U.S. defense industry, with a 35% share of all U.S. defense exports? Furthermore, more than 50% of EU defense equipment is procured from the United States. The EU’s unveiled defense plans offer unprecedented opportunities for further partnerships with U.S. defense companies, with new financial guidelines allowing for more flexible funding and investment for EU Member States. Learn more here.