[5][4] In October 2022, fifteen European states (Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, the United Kingdom) signed a declaration to join the German-led initiative.

[11] France has been challenging the initiative, citing too much reliance in current plans on non-European equipment and technology.

[13] As of July 2023,[update] several major European states, namely France, Poland, Italy, and Spain did not make a decision to join the ESSI.

In April 2024, PM Donald Tusk expressed that Poland plans to join a project to develop a European-wide air defense system to deter potential drone and missile attacks.

[15] In June 2023, the German Bundestag authorized nearly €4 billion for the acquisition of Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system from Israel.