European Commission to Spend EUR1 Billion on Joint Defense Research, Development

06:56 AM EST, 12/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The European Commission earmarked 1 billion euros for joint defense research and development under the 2026 European Defense Fund, or EDF, Work Program, according to a Wednesday release. In collaboration with member states, the program will finance 31 research and development proposals in areas including core defense capabilities, future technologies, and defense innovation. To facilitate shared defense technologies, the EDF has invested 4 billion euros in 224 projects since its launch in 2021.