EU Security and Defence Partnerships: Legal, Industrial and Financial Architecture
The European Union has progressively established a legal framework to formalize its security and defence cooperation with selected third countries. This development has shifted the EU’s engagement from informal dialogues to binding Security and Defence Partnerships (SDPs), governed by specific treaty provisions and implemented through legislative instruments. These SDPs serve as the legal basis for allowing non-member states limited access to EU defence programmes, contingent on strict conditions related to regulatory compliance, industrial integration, and sovereignty guarantees.
This analysis outlines the legal foundations, operational logic, and financial mechanisms underpinning the EU’s SDP framework. It explains how third countries may gain access to EU defence initiatives, the regulatory obligations that apply, and the broader implications for European defence industrial policy. Each section traces a specific component of the SDP system, including funding conditions, ownership screening, interoperability requirements, and examples such as the partnerships with Canada, Ukraine, and the UK.