Böll EU Brief
Phalanx of defence pacts? Mapping bilateral defence partnerships in Europe
Böll EU Brief 05/2025
For free
Europe’s defence map is being redrawn. Our new Böll EU Brief tracks over 160 defence partnerships signed since 2014 among EU countries, the UK and Ukraine – most of them after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Bilateralism boosts trust, interoperability and procurement speed, but also risks duplication and fragmentation. To turn this patchwork into strategy, the EU and NATO should map and integrate these deals into joint planning, strengthen the European Defence Agency’s role, and use bilaterals to offset declining US support.
Read the brief in web format.
For press and media requests, please contact Joan Lanfranco.
Product details
Date of Publication
October 2025
Publisher
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue
Number of Pages
5
Licence
Language of publication
English