The Danish EU Council presidency said late on Wednesday.
The agreement linked Ukraine to the European Defence Fund, which aimed to strengthen the competitiveness, efficiency and innovation of the European Union’s defence sector.
The fund has a budget of around 9.5 billion euros (10.9 billion dollars) for the period 2021 to 2027.
According to the Danish presidency, negotiators also agreed to expand and simplify the use of EU budget funds for defence-related research and development and for investments in industrial capacity and infrastructure.
To do so, several existing EU programmes, including Horizon Europe, are to be amended.
The move comes against the backdrop of security concerns over Russia.
Intelligence assessments suggest that Russia could be militarily capable of launching another war as early as 2030.
Danish European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre said the agreement sent a “strong message” that Europe was determined to invest in its security and remove obstacles along the way.
By opening key EU programmes to defence-related investments, she said, the EU was strengthening efforts to support Europe’s defence and technology industry.
“It is a necessary step towards a stronger, more resilient, and more capable Europe that can defend itself by 2030,” Bjerre said. (dpa/NAN)
