Boosting European defence in a risky worldwide setting

Parliament discusses efforts to bolster European defence in light of an increasingly volatile international environment.

At the 2025 NATO Summit, allies committed to raising defence and security spending to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, more than doubling the previous 2% target. With Russia’s continuing full-scale war on Ukraine and ongoing tensions in relations between Europe and the US, the plenary debate is likely to focus on current efforts to boost European defence. This includes strengthening military deterrence, supporting Ukraine and reinforcing Europe’s industrial capacity in the defence field.

On Wednesday, Parliament will vote on a new own-initiative report on EU strategic defence and security partnerships, aiming to bolster joint efforts in security and defence between the EU and key bilateral partners. The report stresses that these partnerships are a necessity rather than an option, as they support the EU’s strategic autonomy while remaining fully complementary to NATO and grounded in multilateral cooperation.