The European Council today approved the Drone and Counter-Drone European Resolve (DECODER) project as five European Defence Projects of Common Interest (EDPCIs) to strengthen Europe’s defence readiness and industrial capacity
The project will help European countries build, scale up, and deploy drones — and technology to stop enemy drones — to address critical capability gaps across the participating countries.
The five projects “will bring European countries together to develop critical capabilities in drones and counter-drone systems, maritime and seabed defence, space, air and missile defence, and the protection of Europe’s eastern flank,” said the Council in a press release. “EDPCIs were introduced by the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) adopted by the EU in 2025. They are collaborative industrial projects designed to contribute to the development of member states’ military capabilities that are critical for the security and defence interests of the Union. The projects allow EU countries to work together on major defence initiatives that are too large or too complex for individual countries to develop on their own.”
Other chosen projects are the Integrated Maritime and Seabed Defence (IMSD) programme, the SPACE project to strengthen Europe’s space capabilities in several critical areas, the EU Federated Integrated Air and Missile Defence including Early Warning (EU-FIAMD) and the Eastern Flank Watch (EFW) to boost security along the eastern border of the participating countries, covering land, air, sea, cyber, and other domains, with the aim of protecting their entire territory and thereby strengthen their defence readiness.
The five selected projects are now eligible to receive EU funding through the EDIP. The funding will enable the projects’ initial deployment and lay the foundation for possible further funding via the upcoming European Competitiveness Fund.
For more information
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/09/28/european-defence-industry-council-identifies-the-first-five-projects-of-common-interest/
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