The initiative has been designated as a "flagship project" by the European Commission, and was discussed at a summit of eight countries in Helsinki on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson describes it as a complement within the EU "to strengthen the defense capability in EU countries."
That is, not the kind of thing that NATO does, not the kind that we do ourselves in our military defenses, he tells TT and other Swedish media in the Finnish capital.
But things that can simplify and improve, not least for the eastern flank.
This first meeting is called the Eastern Flank Summit, meaning for countries close to Russia along the EU's eastern flank.
"We feel a strong affinity with all the countries that are very close to Russia. And if we can contribute to this, that's good," says Kristersson.
Aides to Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo are signaling that more countries are welcome to join. Among the countries believed to be in the running are Germany, but also Norway, which borders Russia but is not part of the EU.
Strengthening the borders to the east – read: against the threat from Russia – is one of the initiatives that the European Commission has identified as a "flagship project".
The easternmost regions of the EU are called the Eastern Flank. The cooperation initially included the following eight countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden.
