The European Commission’s proposed budgets for the European Defence Fund (EDF) and military mobility were sewn up with a final nod on 14 December from the European Parliament toward the Council. The resulting political agreement – which now awaits official enactment in the coming weeks – will institutionalise the EU’s entry into the fields of defence research and capability development.
The EU’s MFF includes over EUR7 billion for the EDF and nearly EUR1.7 billion for military mobility. (Getty Images)
This agreement seals the work done over many years,” François-Xavier Bellamy, French member of the European Parliament who negotiated the EDF, declared in a press release published by his European People’s Party on 14 December. “It will eventually have a lasting positive impact on industry and employment by supporting European value chains in the fields of security and defence and by investing in long-term research and development.”
In a Commission press release the same day, Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the internal market, hailed the agreement as a “major breakthrough” for supporting defence industrial co-operation. “A more integrated, innovative and competitive European defence technological and industrial base is essential for a stronger, more resilient and strategically autonomous Europe,” he said.
Under the EU’s 2021-27 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) general budget, the EDF is allocated EUR7.953 billion (USD9.7 billion) and military mobility EUR1.691 billion.
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