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UK and EU back on course for SAFE defence fund deal
European Council President António Costa says Britain and the EU are moving towards an agreement on UK participation in the bloc’s SAFE defence-financing instrument, reopening a file that had stalled and giving new weight to the wider reset in defence…
Allegations over Szijjártó’s contacts with Lavrov raise wider NATO security concerns
Fresh reporting alleging that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó shared details of closed-door EU foreign ministers’ discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov has sharpened a question that goes well beyond Brussels politics: whether Viktor Orbán’s Hungary has become a…
Macron and Merz to discuss FCAS as pressure grows on Europe’s flagship fighter project
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to discuss the troubled Future Combat Air System on the margins of the EU summit, as industrial conflict between Dassault and Airbus raises fresh doubts over one of Europe’s…
EU weighs stronger Aspides role as Hormuz crisis tests Europe’s maritime reach
Foreign ministers are discussing whether to reinforce the EU’s Aspides naval mission as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz exposes the limits of Europe’s ability to protect key shipping routes. The European Union is once again confronting the gap…
Canada and the Nordics move to deepen defence-industrial cooperation
A joint statement from Canada and the Nordic countries places defence production, procurement, resilience and support for Ukraine at the centre of a wider effort to tighten security cooperation among like-minded states. Canada and the five Nordic countries have agreed…
BEDEX puts Brussels at the centre of Europe’s defence industry
BEDEX, the Brussels European Defence Exhibition and Conference, opens at Brussels Expo from 12 to 14 March 2026, with the first two days reserved for defence and security professionals and the final day open to the general public. The organisers…
Belgium to launch drone and interception system production with Ukraine
Belgium is to begin domestic production of drones and anti-drone systems in cooperation with Ukraine’s defence industry, in a move that reflects the growing influence of Ukrainian battlefield technology on European defence planning, according to BX1’s report on Theo Francken’s…
European defence build-up gathers pace as missile shields and spending targets move centre stage
Europe’s defence debate is no longer centred on whether to spend more, but on how quickly governments can convert political commitments into deployable capability. Across the continent, missile defence, drone interception, ammunition output and cross-border procurement have moved to the…
Poland seeks greater autonomy in nuclear deterrence as Europe revisits defence integration
Poland has moved the question of nuclear deterrence closer to the centre of the European security debate after Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Warsaw wants “as much autonomy as possible” in this field and is holding talks with France and…
Can Europe’s nuclear deterrent remain credible without US certainty?
Europe’s nuclear deterrence debate has sharpened as officials and analysts examine whether Britain and France can continue to provide a credible nuclear backstop in a less certain security environment. The immediate trigger has been a broader reassessment of deterrence in…