European Union

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

On 18 March, SEDE will notably hold two separate discussions on Ukraine. The first one will focus on countering Russia's war economy and understanding its recruitment policies in order to end Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The second will focus on learning from Ukraine in building Europe’s strategic defence readiness and the role of the EU's new defence instruments.

On 19 March, Ambassador Lene MANDEL VENSILD, newly appointed Chair of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) of the Council of the EU, will address the Committee to discuss the current developments on EU Security and Defence.

SEDE meeting agenda and documents
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Written by Linda Tothova and Sebastian Clapp.

Joint procurement of defence equipment by the EU has gained renewed strategic importance in response to the recent deteriorating security environment and persistent fragmentation within the European defence market. Although the European Defence Agency set a 35 % collaborative procurement benchmark back in 2007, cooperation among Member States remains limited. The 2022 coordinated annual review on defence reported that only 18 % of defence investment took place collaboratively, far below agreed targets. While total EU defence expenditure reached €381 billion in 2025, increased spending has not translated into commensurate growth in joint acquisition. EU institutions continue to highlight duplication issues, capability gaps and over-reliance on non‑EU suppliers.

To address these shortcomings, the Union has expanded financial and regulatory instruments. EDIRPA, EDIP and SAFE provide grants and loans to incentivise joint procurement, while the defence readiness roadmap 2030 raises the ambition to 40 % joint procurement by 2027. Targeted adjustments to the Defence Procurement Directive aim to reduce administrative barriers and facilitate multinational contracting.

Joint procurement offers potential economies of scale, stronger bargaining leverage, greater industrial predictability and enhanced interoperability. Studies indicate that meeting collaborative benchmarks could generate annual savings of several billion euros. Yet significant constraints persist, including differing threat perceptions by national governments, industrial competition that often runs counter to consolidation, governance complexity and risks of cost overruns in multinational programmes.

The European Parliament has consistently supported deeper pooling and interoperability, urging collaborative acquisition to be prioritised in EU instruments while cautioning against incentives that may reinforce national disparities. Sustained progress therefore depends on credible demand aggregation, coherent defence planning and effective coordination across EU and NATO frameworks.

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU joint defence procurement‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

DRAFT REPORT on the 2025 Commission report on Bosnia and Herzegovina
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Ondřej Kolář

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 403 - Draft report 2025 Commission report on North Macedonia
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Thomas Waitz

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 237 - Draft report 2025 Commission report on Montenegro
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Marjan Šarec

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

On Thursday, Parliament adopted three resolutions on the human rights situations in Russia, Niger and Georgia.

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

On Thursday, Parliament adopted three resolutions on the human rights situations in Russia, Niger and Georgia.

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

On Thursday MEPs gave the green light to revised rules on package travel, enhancing protection for holidaymakers by drawing lessons from the pandemic and high-profile bankruptcies.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

On Thursday MEPs gave the green light to revised rules on package travel, enhancing protection for holidaymakers by drawing lessons from the pandemic and high-profile bankruptcies.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

DRAFT REPORT on the 2025 Commission report on Serbia
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Tonino Picula

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP