The European Commission has formally launched a European Union Treaty-based framework that seeks to advance collaboration on defense and security initiatives among EU member states.
The commission said Monday 25 EU member states agreed to establish the Permanent Structured Cooperation and work together on 17 proposed projects.
The PESCO projects encompass various areas such as cybersecurity, maritime surveillance, strategic command and control, infantry fighting vehicles, training certification for European forces, military mobility and medical command.
PESCO also aims to encourage member states to build up defense capabilities and military readiness as well as invest in shared programs.
The commission also launched in June the European Defense Fund that seeks to offer incentives to member countries to collaborate on research efforts, prototype development and procurement of defense systems.
The commission expects the initial grant agreements for collaborative projects under the European Defense Fund to be signed before the end of the year.
