The two so-called flagship projects, dubbed the Eastern Flank Watch and European Drone Defence Initiative, were first floated by the European Commission in October as part of its “roadmap” to make the EU ready for war with Russia by the end of the decade.
Referencing the projects and the bloc’s broader defense plans, Orpo said he was “confident that we will continue this discussion at the upcoming European Council later this week.”
But an official from the French Elysée told reporters Tuesday that “discussions on flagship defense projects are not planned” at Thursday’s meeting. Instead, the official added, countries are “organizing ourselves intergovernmentally and through the NATO process.”
The initiatives need endorsement from EU leaders before they can be launched early next year. Alongside France, the projects also previously received a lukewarm reception from countries like Germany and Hungary, who see the plans as a potential power grab by Brussels.
EU leaders failed to endorse the initiatives at the last summit in October, and so far, have not indicated they would shift their stance, according to draft summit conclusions seen by POLITICO and dated Dec. 16.
There was more consensus among the countries attending Tuesday’s summit — Finland, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria — who also agreed the flagship projects should ideally fund ground combat capabilities, drone air and drone defense, border protection efforts and easing military mobility across the bloc.