Ministry of Strategic Industries: First meeting of defence-industrial cooperation held in Brussels

On 12 May, as part of the DFNC: EU Edition forum in Brussels, the first meeting of the EU-Ukraine Defence-Industrial Cooperation Task Force took place.

The initiative to establish the Task Force is outlined in the EU Defence Readiness White Paper to 2030 and forms a key component of the long-term strategy to deepen defence partnership between Ukraine and the European Union.

The Task Force comprises:

From Ukraine:

• Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine;
• Ministry of Defence;
• Ministry of Digital Transformation;
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• Office of the President of Ukraine;
• Permanent Representation of Ukraine to the EU.

From the EU:

• European External Action Service (EEAS);
• European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS).

Other organisations, such as the European Defence Agency (EDA) or the European Union Military Staff (EUMS), may participate as needed. Representatives from the defence industry may be invited to meetings on an ad-hoc basis.

The establishment of the Task Force is a practical step towards implementing decisions set out in the EU Defence Readiness White Paper to 2030, as well as key initiatives such as Rearm Europe and Rearm Ukraine.

The Task Force aims to:

• Deepen the integration of Ukraine’s defence-industrial complex into the European defence-technological ecosystem;
• Develop joint production and innovative projects;
• Coordinate efforts within the SAFE and EDIP programmes;
• Utilise the SAFE Loans mechanism to finance orders involving Ukraine, enabling scaled-up production and faster deliveries;
• Facilitate systematic information exchange on capabilities, bottlenecks, and technologies;
• Leverage Ukraine’s combat experience to shape the EU’s technological roadmaps.

The first meeting was attended by representatives of key Ukrainian institutions, including the Ministry of Strategic Industries, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Office of the President. The Ukrainian delegation was also supported by representatives of the Permanent Representation of Ukraine to the EU. On the EU side, participants included the European External Action Service, the European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, as well as invited experts and technical advisers.

The meeting was co-chaired by Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries, Davyd Aloian, alongside representatives from the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS).

The Task Force has established a permanent dialogue format between Ukraine and the EU, focused on operational coordination, interaction, and synchronisation of efforts.

During the meeting, a preliminary action plan was agreed upon, including preparations for the next Task Force meeting, scheduled for June 2025.