Meeting at an informal leaders’ retreat in Brussels in early February 2025, EU leaders were keen to establish the political guidelines for a host of defence policy developments in 2025. In the context of the continuing war against Ukraine, and the uncertainties posed by the new US Administration, Europeans are set to bolster their cooperation in an EU context as well as take up a greater role in NATO. It is to be hoped that more cooperation between EU member states will help respond to the pressure to spend more on defence, as well as reverse the fragmentation of the European defence market. For a country such as Spain there are critical questions to consider, including its level of defence spending, how to participate in future EU defence procurement projects and how to align EU-NATO targets as much as possible. Spainis well placed to benefit from a future European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), but ensuring that it can capitalise on and influence Europe’s revival of the defence industry requires Spain to do its homework.
Real Instituto Elcano – February 2025
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Daniel Fiott 
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