E5 (European Group of Five)

Not to be confused with European Group of Five.

The European Group of Five (E5)[1] is a meeting of the defence ministers of Europe's five biggest defence spenders and largest military powers.[2]

It was inaugerated in November 2024 in response to increased calls for European rearmament and increased leadership by Europe in providing support to Ukraine. Since its inauguration the E5 has met seven times (five times in 2025), and pledged to deepen cooperation across a number of areas. Representatives from NATO and the EU are usually also present at meetings of the format.

It is similar in provenance and purpose to the Weimar+ format which it pre-dates, but without including Spain, due to their low defence spending. Commentators have discussed the format "increasingly becoming the relevant forum to strengthen political and military cooperation on the continent."[3]

History

Initial formation

The E5 first met on 25 November 2024 in Berlin, convened by German defence minister Boris Pistorius and dubbed 'the E5' by British secretary of state for defence John Healey.[4] At the meeting the five Ministers pledged to 'close the capabilities gap', as well as pledging continued and increasing support to Ukraine and to 'keep the Ukraine Defense Contact Group alive'.

The second meeting in Poland saw the first E5 joint statement published.[5] In it the group restated their support for Ukraine and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, pledged to build cooperation on this between NATO, the EU and national governments, and urged their defence industries to step up their cooperation with Ukrainian defence industry. Secondly the group restated its support for the transatlantic alliance and urged greater financial support and information exchange to improve defence capability and procurement.

The third meeting of the E5 took place in Paris in March 2025.[6] The E5 Ministers focussed on pledges to cut regulations to encourage greater production by their defence industries, calling for an assessment of EU regulations and national laws that could "hinder or slow down" weapons production and procurement.

Over the fourth meeting in Rome the key priorities for the E5 remained "continued support for Ukraine, the strengthening of Europe’s industrial and operational capabilities, and the shared goal of achieving greater European strategic autonomy, in full synergy with NATO and the European Union."[7]

The fifth meeting of the format in London in September 2025 was dominated by discussion of the 2025 Russian drone incursion into Poland which occurred over the preceding days.[8]

Rising profile

November 2025 saw the sixth meeting of the format and its first anniversary in Berlin. This meeting saw an emphasis on continuity of policy ahead of Ukraine entering the fourth winter of the Russian invasion. All Ministers emphasised that backing for Kyiv would remain open-ended, that hybrid threats against Europe are accelerating, and that as the continent’s biggest military powers they intended to take on a larger share of their own defence.[9] The meeting also saw the announcement of the first E5 joint deployment, to Bosnia Hercegovina, by British secretary of state John Healey.[10]

The seventh meeting of the format in Krakow, Poland, saw the announcement of the Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms (LEAP) initiative by the E5. This pledged to jointly develop and produce new low cost drones within the next year. British minister Luke Pollard elaborated that, "The problem is to be effective at shooting down relatively low-cost missiles, drones and other threats facing us," Pollard told reporters. "We need to make sure that we're matching the cost of the threats with the cost of defense," adding that the drone initiative entailed a new "multimillion-euro" commitment from the five countries.[11]

The group continued close cooperation through the 2026 Iran war on a common European response. On the 11th March the group met virtually to take stock of the situation and coordinate diplomatic efforts, ensuring that the Middle East situation didn't impact the continuity of E5 support for Ukraine.[12]

Areas of focus and joint operations

The E5 has thus far been largely focused on two major areas: continuing support for Ukraine and scoping options for streamlining procurement standards and procedures across defence industry.

Industrially in February 2026 the E5 announced a joint programme of development and manufacture of low cost drones (the Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms (LEAP) initiative). To result in new low cost effectors being developed and manufactured within the next year.[13]

The E5 has also taken part in joint operations, with the groups first joint deployment as part of a British-led operation in Bosnia Hercegovina announced at the sixth meeting of the format in November 2025.[14] British defence secretary John Healey announced that 'All of the E5 countries will be involved in the deployment to Bosnia and Herzegovina to boost security and stability in the region. A new era of threat requires a new era for defence, which is why the UK is stepping up alongside European partners to deter aggression and invest in security."

List of Meetings

Overview of E5 meetings
# Date Host Host minister Location held Notes
1st 25 November 2024 Germany Boris Pistorius Berlin Inaugural E5 meeting.[15]
2nd 13 January 2025 Poland Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz Helenów UK represented by Minister of the Armed Forces Luke Pollard.[16]
3rd 12 March 2025 France Sebastian Lecornu Paris Also attended by European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius, Deputy Secretary General Charles Fries of the European External Action Service, and NATO deputy secretary general Radmila Šekerinska.[17]
4th 16 May 2025 Italy Guido Crosetto Rome
5th 10 September 2025 UK John Healey London France represented by director general for international relations and strategy Alice Rufo, Germany by state secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence Jens Plötner and Poland by Director of International Security Policy Marcin Kazmierski.[18]
6th 14 November 2025 Germany Boris Pistorius Berlin Also in attendance European Commission vice-president Kaja Kallas.

This meeting saw the announcement of the first joint E5 deployment to Bosnia Hercegovina.

7th 20 February 2026 Poland Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz Krakow UK represented by Minister of Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard. Also attended by the EU's Kaja Kallas, NATO's deputy secretary general Radmila Šekerinska and Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.[19]

List of Defence Ministers

See also

2020s European rearmament

References

  1. ^ "With Trump looming, European defense ministers want to invest in military equipment". Politico.
  2. ^ "Europe's military heavyweights call for defense industry deregulation". Politico.
  3. ^ "IN ROME, THE "E5" FORMAT DEFENCE MINISTERS' MEETING". Difesa.it.
  4. ^ "With Trump looming, European defense ministers want to invest in military equipment". Politico.
  5. ^ "The Joint Statement of Group of Five Defence Ministers" (PDF). BMVG.de.
  6. ^ "Europe's military heavyweights call for defense industry deregulation". Politico.
  7. ^ "IN ROME, THE "E5" FORMAT DEFENCE MINISTERS' MEETING". Difesa.it.
  8. ^ "Shmyhal takes part in E5 meeting in London?website=interfax Ukraine".
  9. ^ "Europe's defense chiefs: We're with Ukraine for the long haul". Politico.
  10. ^ "UK deploying 1 Lancs infanteers to Bosnia to beef up security in the Balkans". Forces News.
  11. ^ "5 NATO allies agree to produce low-cost drones". Politico.
  12. ^ "E5 Defense Group Meeting". Ministry of Defense Italy.
  13. ^ "UK agrees drone defence plan with four EU allies". BBC News.
  14. ^ "UK deploying 1 Lancs infanteers to Bosnia to beef up security in the Balkans". Forces News.
  15. ^ "With Trump looming, European defense ministers want to invest in military equipment". Politico.
  16. ^ "Joint Statement by Group of Five Defence Ministers – 13 January 2025". gov.uk.
  17. ^ "Europe's military heavyweights call for defense industry deregulation". Politico.
  18. ^ "E5 Defence Ministers Meet: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK". UPI.
  19. ^ "European defence ministers meet in Poland ahead of fourth anniversary of Ukraine war - Europe live". The Guardian.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.