Integrated European Anti‑Ballistic Missile Coalition Formed

Ten European states – Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Ukraine – signed a declaration in Paris to create an Integrated Anti‑Ballistic Missile (ABM) Coalition. The group will define joint requirements, coordinate research, and promote industrial development of a European capability to intercept medium‑range ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere. During the founding meeting, Airbus Defence and Space, MBDA Germany, Safran, Thales and space‑flight firm Destinus signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Bliksem EXO industrial consortium, tasked with developing an exo‑atmospheric interceptor.

The coalition emerges as European defence budgets rise sharply after the recent NATO summit. Member states plan to increase defence spending substantially, raising questions about financing. New capital will have to come from higher taxes, additional debt or cuts to other programmes, a dilemma highlighted in Austria where officials note rising defence outlays amid fiscal pressures from pensions, health care and climate policy. The initiative is framed as a defensive measure complementing NATO, but critics warn it may fuel a new arms race.