PESCO: the EU defence club Czechia joined in 2017, and what it does

Most Czech citizens know that their country belongs to NATO. Fewer realise that Czechia also belongs to an EU defence framework with an unwieldy name and a short acronym. PESCO was dormant in the treaties for years before it was switched on in 2017, and since then it has become one of the more concrete parts of European defence cooperation, even as its results are debated.

The Czech government decided in October 2017 to take part. What PESCO is, what Czechia does within it and how it fits with NATO are the questions here.

What PESCO is

The Lisbon Treaty, in force since 2009, allows member states that meet higher criteria on military capabilities to establish "permanent structured cooperation" within the EU's common security and defence policy. The legal basis is Article 42(6) of the Treaty on European Union and a protocol attached to the treaties. For years nothing happened. After the 2016 Brexit referendum and in a changing security climate, EU governments agreed to activate it. On 11 December 2017 the Council adopted a decision establishing PESCO with 25 participating member states, with Czechia among them. Denmark, which has an opt-out from defence matters, and Malta stayed out at first. Participation has changed since then.

The principle is voluntary participation. A state that joins takes on binding commitments, including to increase defence spending in real terms, to invest in joint projects and to make forces available for operations, but no state is obliged to join any given project. The commitments are reviewed each year by the High Representative of the EU and the European Defence Agency.

How projects work

Projects are the visible part of PESCO. A project is proposed by one or more member states, which become the coordinators, and other states can join as participants or observers. Each project has a stated aim, such as developing a piece of equipment, setting up a training centre, creating a shared command or improving the movement of troops across borders. The first batch, approved in March 2018, had 17 projects, and later rounds raised the number to several dozen. The official PESCO website lists each project, its members and its status.

Typical examples include projects on military mobility, which aims to ease the movement of troops and equipment through the EU by simplifying customs and transport rules, a cooperative on medical support for operations, training centres and joint equipment programmes. Which projects Czechia takes part in, and in what role, is listed on the PESCO website and by the Ministry of Defence (as of 2026; check the official source). The country is a participant in some, a smaller player in others, and its contribution varies.

Why Czechia joined

The case made in 2017 was practical. Czech defence policy rests on NATO membership, covered in Czech entry into NATO and the EU, but the government argued that EU cooperation would help the country modernise equipment and join in European projects without weakening the alliance. The country has a defence industry of its own, from small arms to jet trainers (see Aero Vodochody and the L-159), and joining PESCO gave it a way to take part in European procurement and research. Exports outside the EU still go through national licensing (Czech arms exports). Participation also fitted the government's wish to be seen as a constructive member of the EU at a time when it was debating its place in Europe.

Critics, on the other hand, worried that PESCO would duplicate NATO or lead to an EU army. Supporters answered that the framework is voluntary, intergovernmental and compatible with NATO, and that decisions on sending forces remain national. The treaty itself states that NATO is the foundation of collective defence for its members. For the general principles of EU membership see Czechia in the European Union: what membership means and how the EU works: institutions in plain terms.

PESCO and NATO

The two are often confused. NATO is a military alliance, founded in 1949, in which members commit to collective defence under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. It has an integrated military command and the United States as its main military power. PESCO is part of the European Union's framework, with no collective defence command of its own. The EU has a mutual assistance clause in Article 42(7) of the treaty on European Union, but most members that are also in NATO treat NATO as the main guarantee.

In practice, the two bodies coordinate. The EU and NATO have signed joint declarations on cooperation, and many PESCO projects are designed to fill capability gaps that NATO has also identified. The overlap in membership is large: most EU states are also in NATO.

The wider EU defence landscape

PESCO is one of several instruments. The European Defence Agency, created in 2004, supports capability development and procurement. The European Defence Fund, started in 2021, provides EU money for collaborative defence research and development, with a budget of several billion euros over the 2021 to 2027 period. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU adopted the Strategic Compass, a plan for security and defence to 2030, and later expanded joint procurement and financing initiatives, including programmes to encourage member states to buy defence equipment together. The relationship between these tools and national budgets is a live topic of European politics, and the details change quickly (as of 2026; check the Council and the European Commission).

For Czechia, the war in Ukraine (Czechia and Ukraine) has sharpened the debate on defence spending and industrial capacity. The government's plans for spending, procurement and the army's size are set out by the Ministry of Defence.

Criticism and results

Assessments of PESCO are mixed. Supporters say it has created a habit of cooperation, given smaller countries a seat at the table and produced useful projects, especially in logistics, training and mobility. Critics, including the European Court of Auditors in its reviews of EU defence spending, note that many projects are slow, that participation is uneven and that the binding commitments are loosely enforced. Because decisions rest with member states, progress depends on political will and money, both of which have grown since 2022 but still fall short of what some governments say Europe needs.

For a country like Czechia, the test is practical. Does a project give the army equipment or training it would not otherwise get? Does it give Czech firms a place in a European supply chain? And does it do so without pulling resources away from the commitments Czechia has made to NATO? The answers differ project by project, which is why the official project list is more informative than general statements.

Reading the list yourself

If you want to check the facts, go to the PESCO website, filter by Czechia and read the project description. Look for who coordinates, which states participate, the stage of development and the expected deliverables. Many projects are modest in scale, and their value lies in building habits of cooperation as much as in hardware.

Frequently asked questions

What does PESCO stand for?

Permanent Structured Cooperation, a framework in the EU treaties for willing member states to cooperate on defence.

When did Czechia join?

The government decided to take part in October 2017, and PESCO was established on 11 December 2017 with 25 member states.

Does PESCO replace NATO?

No. NATO remains the basis of collective defence for its members. PESCO is a separate EU framework for capability projects.

Is there an EU army?

No. PESCO does not create one. Decisions on deploying national forces stay with national governments.

For the current picture, browse the official PESCO project list and note which ones Czechia has joined.