BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Groups of European countries agreed on Tuesday to work together to develop missile defence, electronic warfare and other military assets as part of a drive to foster closer defence cooperation between national governments.
Many European countries have ramped up defence spending in recent years, spurred by Russia's war in Ukraine and fears the United States may cut its commitments to protect the continent, particularly under Donald Trump, who has been critical of NATO.
But top EU officials say the continent must also change the way it spends on defence, urging nations to club together to develop and buy weapons to get better value and reduce fragmentation in the European defence market.
Under four schemes announced by the EU's European Defence Agency (EDA), groups of countries have signed so-called letters of intent to develop air and missile defence, electronic warfare, loitering munitions and a European Combat Vessel.
"National efforts, while indispensable, are not enough," Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign and security policy, said in a statement.
"The geopolitical landscape makes our cooperation, alongside increased spending, essential to be ready for high-intensity warfare."
The EDA said 18 countries ranging in size from Germany, France and Italy to Cyprus and Luxembourg signed up to cooperate on air defence. Seventeen will team up on loitering munitions, 14 on electronic warfare and seven on the combat vessel.
Electronic warfare, used to jam signals to weapons such as drones, and loitering munitions, which hover over targets, have emerged as key technologies in the war in Ukraine.
The EDA did not put a financial value on the four initiatives or name any companies that may be involved.
"The scope of these letters of intent ranges from short-term joint procurement, through medium-term modernisation and upgrades, to long-term development of future capabilities," it said.