Three European Shipyards Sign the Production Bridge for a Common Corvette: Fincantieri, Navantia and Naval Group Seal EPC2
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, Spain’s Navantia and France’s Naval Group signed a consortium agreement in Paris at Euronaval 2026 for the second phase of the European Patrol Corvette (EPC) program. The agreement, known as EPC2, was formalized in a ceremony attended by representatives of OCCAR, the European joint armaments cooperation organization. The CEOs of all three shipyards — Fincantieri’s Pierroberto Folgiero, Navantia’s Ricardo Domínguez and Naval Group’s Pierre Éric Pommellet — signed in person.
From design to production-ready
EPC2 is described as the step that carries the program from preliminary design toward production readiness. During this phase, the companies will complete the corvette’s detailed design and integrate new technologies to prepare the program for industrialization. The first phase, EPC1, had covered conceptual studies, preliminary ship design, critical technology development and the definition of shared methodologies, standards and requirements. The program was launched in 2019 under the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) framework and has been coordinated by OCCAR since 2022, with funding support from the European Defence Fund.
One modular hull, many navies
The program’s goal is a common Full Combat Multipurpose (FCM) platform that will form the basis for a class of Modular and Multirole Patrol Corvettes. The modular design is meant to let participating navies adapt the ship to their own requirements while preserving interoperability and commonality across the fleet. Intended missions span maritime surveillance, offshore patrol, escort duty, maritime security and protecting critical sea lines of communication. Fincantieri’s own statement called the signing “a significant step forward in the development of the European Patrol Corvette.”
Arriving on the heels of Spain’s budget approval
The signing follows closely on another development reported just days earlier: Spain’s Defense Ministry approved €1.786 billion to cover Navantia’s share of the EPC program. The two stories are separate announcements but describe different layers of the same program — one a national budget commitment, the other the formal industrial structure binding the three shipyards together. Taken together, they suggest the EPC program gained real momentum in the autumn of 2026 after years mostly spent in conceptual and preliminary design work.
A reference point beyond Europe
Fincantieri frames the EPC program as a contribution to European strategic autonomy, citing a more resilient European supply chain and stronger competitiveness for the continent’s shipbuilders. The announcement did not disclose ship numbers, total program cost or a delivery schedule — details expected to firm up as the detailed design phase progresses. The consortium is also expected to be joined by Greek engineering firm HYDRUS, extending the project beyond the three founding shipyards into a wider European industrial network. For export-oriented shipbuilders elsewhere, including Turkish yards competing in the corvette and frigate segment, the EPC’s pooling of three major European shipbuilders behind one common design is a trend worth tracking: it signals that competition in the mid-size patrol vessel market may increasingly be fought between multinational consortia rather than individual companies.
Sources: Naval News, “Fincantieri, Navantia and Naval Group Sign EPC2 Consortium Agreement at Euronaval 2026” (November 4, 2026); Infodefensa, on Spain’s prior budget commitment (November 4, 2026). Image: Envanter Medya.
