The EU executive has published a list of EU funds that could be allocated to defence activities in the coming years, in a bid to finance the continent’s rearmament
A whole list of EU funds is in search of a new purpose: funding defence gear production. That’s what the Commission said on Tuesday when presenting a sneak peek of the regulation to stimulate defence-related investments within the EU budget.
The Commission labelled the proposed changes to current EU programmes a “mini Omnibus”, offering a first glimpse of what June’s simplification package for the defence industry and member states might look like, in an attempt to increase investment in the sector and scale up production.
Asked by Euractiv how much cash the Commission is expecting to release for the defence industry thanks to its initiative, Thomas Reigner, the Commission’s spokesperson for defence, could not give a figure.
Last month, the Commission proposed that EU countries re-purpose cohesion funds from underdeveloped regions across the bloc to arms manufacturers’ production – a move which attracted criticism.
Today, the Commission proposed introducing a "landing clause" in two EU funds and programmes – the Research and Development Defence Fund and the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) – to produce more ammunition and missiles, allowing member states to transfer cohesion funds to those objectives. ASAP would therefore also be extended until the end of 2026.
According to the initiative tabled today, dual-use technologies in particular are targeted for a funding boost.
Concretely, the European Innovation Council (EIC) of Horizon Europe – whose role is to support the commercialisation of high technologies – would do the same for dual-use and defence-related innovations in the future. “The objective is to foster a dynamic innovation ecosystem that speeds up the development and deployment of cutting-edge dual-use and defence technologies, like AI and cybersecurity,” the executive’s press release says.
The idea is controversial. Academia fears that opening up civilian funding programmes to so-called "dual use" research could allow defence priorities to cannibalise other priorities, like basic research.
Dual-use products and applications would also get more financial support from the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) which backs the development and market rollout of technologies such as artificial intelligence and gigafactories.
In addition, the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) could invest in additional defence-related technologies and products, in a bid to turn the large-scale defence projects pitched in the White Paper last month into reality. The Commission’s strategy lists seven areas in which member states should invest urgently to protect the continent, ranging from highly sophisticated space assets to consumable air defence products.
The EU executive has not conducted any impact assessment on the matter, Reigner also said. None of the EU defence schemes proposed under Ursula von der Leyen’s leadership have been based on impact assessments.
These proposals will be “formalised in the upcoming omnibus” in June, Reigner added, for the member states and the Parliament to mull over.
The Commission labelled the proposed changes to current EU programmes a “mini Omnibus”, offering a first glimpse of what June’s simplification package for the defence industry and member states might look like, in an attempt to increase investment in the sector and scale up production.
Asked by Euractiv how much cash the Commission is expecting to release for the defence industry thanks to its initiative, Thomas Reigner, the Commission’s spokesperson for defence, could not give a figure.
Last month, the Commission proposed that EU countries re-purpose cohesion funds from underdeveloped regions across the bloc to arms manufacturers’ production – a move which attracted criticism.
Today, the Commission proposed introducing a "landing clause" in two EU funds and programmes – the Research and Development Defence Fund and the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) – to produce more ammunition and missiles, allowing member states to transfer cohesion funds to those objectives. ASAP would therefore also be extended until the end of 2026.
According to the initiative tabled today, dual-use technologies in particular are targeted for a funding boost.
Concretely, the European Innovation Council (EIC) of Horizon Europe – whose role is to support the commercialisation of high technologies – would do the same for dual-use and defence-related innovations in the future. “The objective is to foster a dynamic innovation ecosystem that speeds up the development and deployment of cutting-edge dual-use and defence technologies, like AI and cybersecurity,” the executive’s press release says.
The idea is controversial. Academia fears that opening up civilian funding programmes to so-called "dual use" research could allow defence priorities to cannibalise other priorities, like basic research.
Dual-use products and applications would also get more financial support from the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) which backs the development and market rollout of technologies such as artificial intelligence and gigafactories.
In addition, the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) could invest in additional defence-related technologies and products, in a bid to turn the large-scale defence projects pitched in the White Paper last month into reality. The Commission’s strategy lists seven areas in which member states should invest urgently to protect the continent, ranging from highly sophisticated space assets to consumable air defence products.
The EU executive has not conducted any impact assessment on the matter, Reigner also said. None of the EU defence schemes proposed under Ursula von der Leyen’s leadership have been based on impact assessments.
These proposals will be “formalised in the upcoming omnibus” in June, Reigner added, for the member states and the Parliament to mull over.
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