Weimar+, E6+ and NB8: Europe's new security architecture

Weimar+ – From triangle to European leadership

Weimar+ was established in February 2025 as an urgent reaction to Donald Trump's phone call with Vladimir Putin on February 11, where Europe was excluded from the Ukraine negotiations. The historic first meeting was held on February 12, 2025 in Paris, where the foreign ministers from the original Weimar Triangle (France-Germany-Poland) was expanded with United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and the European Commission.

This format represents Europe's six largest economies: Germany (4,9 trillion euros), the United Kingdom (3,8 trillion), France (3,2 trillion), Italy (2,4 trillion), Spain (1,6 trillion) and Poland (0,8 trillion). Together, these account for over 70% of Europe's economic output.

Weimar+ as "Coalition of the Willing"

Weimar+ works as a "coalition of the willing" for European leadership when unanimity becomes difficult to achieve within the EU and NATO. The format's first joint declaration stressed that Europe can "function geopolitically independent of the US" if necessary, and that any peace agreement must put Ukraine "in a position of strength".

E6/E6+ – The economic dimension

E6 + or "EU Big Six" refers to the same countries as Weimar+ (NB: not only EU countries but also the UK) and represents a geoeconomic strategy where Europe's largest economies coordinate their industrial and technological policies. This format has been developed in parallel with Weimar+ and focuses in particular on:

  • Defense industrial base: Through REARM Europe and the SAFE program
  • Technological sovereignty: Quantum, AI, semiconductors
  • Critical supply chains: Raw materials, energy, batteries

E6+ often works in "Weimar Plus" meetings where defense ministers plan joint military exercises and industrial coordination.

NB8 – The regional security pillar

Nordic-Baltic Eight has undergone a strategic transformation since Finland and Sweden's NATO membership in 2023-2024. Now that all eight countries are NATO members, NB8 has become a "security policy power" in northern Europe.

NB8+ Poland format

Poland has become permanent participant in NB8 summits since 2024, creating a “NB8+Poland”format with nine countries and a total of 130 million inhabitantsDonald Tusk was called a "bearer of hope" at the NB8 meeting in November 2024, where Poland and Sweden signed a strategic partnership.

The historical connection: the NB8-Weimar+ meeting

The first joint meeting between NB8 and the Weimar Triangle was held April 28-29, 2025 on Bornholm, Denmark. This historic meeting brought together eleven foreign ministers and resulted in a comprehensive joint declaration covering:

Concrete results from the Bornholm meeting:

  1. Over 100 billion euros in support: Together, the countries have contributed 53 billion euros in military aid and €47 billion in civilian aid to Ukraine
  2. Coalition of the Willing: Support for the 31-nation coalition led by Britain and France for security guarantees to Ukraine.
  3. Shadow Fleet Task Force: Joint measures against Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea
  4. REARM Europe implementation: Support for the European Commission's Readiness 2030 White Paper and defense industrial rearmament

Strategic dimensions and connections

Economic and demographic weight

  • NB8+Poland: 130 million inhabitants, strong in tech and defense industries
  • Weimar+/E6+: 315 million inhabitants, 70% of Europe's GDP
  • Tillsammans: 445 million inhabitants (almost 100% of the EU), enormous economic resources

Security policy complementarity

NB8 adds regional expertise on Russia/Baltic Sea, NORDEFCO-structures and strong transatlantic connection.

Weimar+ contributes strategic mass, industrial capacity and geopolitical weight to shape European policy.

Institutional bridging

The formats work as "bridges" between different institutional structures:

  • EU vs. NATO: NB8 includes Norway and Iceland (NATO but not EU)
  • EU vs post-Brexit UK: Weimar+ includes Great Britain
  • Large vs. small states: NB8 represents small states, Weimar+ great powers

I F (Joint Expeditionary Force) helps bridge the gap between the command structures in Norfolk and Brunssum in NATO.

The future: "Coalition of Coalitions"

This architecture creates what can be described as a "coalition of coalitions" – overlapping networks of security policy coordination that can act more quickly than traditional EU/NATO structures when unanimity is difficult.

Denmark has taken over the NB8 presidency in 2025 with a focus on "resilience against hybrid attacks" and strengthened EU sanctionsAt the same time, Poland held the EU presidency in the first half of 2025, which has provided more coordination opportunities between the formats.

This represents Europe's new security reality: flexible, overlapping coalitions that can deliver concrete results while traditional institutions adapt to the changing geopolitical situation.