Ten European countries signed in Paris on Monday to create the Anti-Ballistic Coalition, a “purely defensive” alliance intended to build a common missile-interception architecture for the continent.
The initiative, named FREYJA, brings together Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. It was driven by French President Emmanuel Macron, who took advantage of the fact that Ukraine’s allies were already gathered in the French capital that day for the Volunteer Coalition summit.
The declaration sets as a priority the rapid development of capabilities to face ballistic threats. According to the document, Europe needs a response based on “collective effort, technological openness and trusted industrial cooperation,” and the new framework will complement systems already in place among member states.
To achieve this, the bloc plans to establish common requirements, technical working groups and governance mechanisms, with a roadmap aimed at reaching initial operational capabilities. Members also committed to promoting joint research projects, exploring financing avenues and strengthening data sharing, in a scheme that gives a central role to Ukraine’s “unique” experience gained since the Russian invasion began in 2022. FREYJA will remain open to other countries that share its principles and objectives.
Against that background, leaders present took the floor. Pedro Sánchez announced Spain’s participation on social media and said that “cooperating is the best way to face the challenges of the present and the future.” Volodymyr Zelensky described the meeting as one that “can, and should, become a historic milestone” and called for anti-ballistic coverage that is “solid, reliable and more cost-effective than other systems.”
Rob Jetten, the Dutch prime minister, justified the initiative by pointing to “the rapid increase in ballistic missile production by Russia” and urged pooling technology and industrial capacity to achieve “a shared shield.” His Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, promised that Stockholm and the aerospace manufacturer Saab will play a significant role in the project.
The meeting was divided into a technical session and a leaders’ session. Institutional representatives included the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa; the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; and the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte.
On the industry side, Spain was represented by SENER, alongside France’s Safran and Thales; Germany’s Diehl Defence and Hensoldt; Italy’s Leonardo; Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace; and Ukraine’s Fire Point. The list was completed by the MBDA consortium — a pan-European missile manufacturer part-owned by Airbus — and Eurosam, which is responsible for the SAMP/T air-defence system.
(With information from EFE and Europa Press)