Defence-related investments in the EU budget

Key points

The EESC:

• emphasises that peace must remain a core EU priority. It stresses the importance of diplomacy for conflict resolution and crisis prevention wherever possible;
• supports a comprehensive, inclusive European defence strategy that supplements military readiness with civil preparedness;
• endorses the European Commission’s White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 and calls for a coordinated EU approach that treats defence, peace and security as shared public goods, underpinned by strong legal, institutional and financial frameworks with democratic oversight;
• takes note of the prompt submission of the proposal regarding incentivising defence-related investments in the EU budget to implement the ReArm Europe Plan (‘the Proposal’);
• endorses its main objective of further promoting and facilitating defence investment by enabling more flexible, coordinated investment in the European Defence Technology Industrial Base (EDTIB) with a view to achieving defence readiness within five years;
• recommends and proposes changes in the legislative proposal in the following fields:
  • including satellite-based intelligence and communication;
  • interoperability;
  • transfer of funds and putting a ceiling on the percentage of funds transferred;
  • specification of dual use purposes;
  • enough flexibility to be provided for existing contracts;
  • establishing a common EU strategy for an offset approach;
  • more transparency regarding expenses paid to companies outside the E;
  • a common EU register for defence and dual use investments;
  • building complementarity with the European Social Fund and
  • ensuring complementarity with Security Action For Europe (SAFE).