European defence industry programme

The EESC:

• recommends that the European Commission communicate extensively with European citizens to broadly convey the challenges of joint defence financing in the current geopolitical context, and with a view to building common security, while continuing to base European integration on a project of peace and solidarity;
• asks for an increase to the current limited funding (EUR 1.5 billion) in the medium term;
• stresses that the EDIP must, in addition to the necessary response to Ukraine’s urgent needs, lead to a structural evolution of the European approach to defence and the associated European Defence Industrial and Technological Base (EDTIB);
• recommends that the European Parliament, the Member States, the public and private financial sectors and the European Commission outline a long-term plan for increased arms spending and procurement, which will facilitate private sector long-term investment and support production plans for military equipment by the EDTIB, and provide support to the DTIB for Ukraine;
• recommends that the European Commission clarify the origin and use of funds earmarked for the EDIP;
• recommends that EDTIB companies strengthen cooperation, especially with SMEs and across borders;
• highlights the importance of industrial cooperation with Ukraine within the framework of the EDIP;
• suggests further promoting synergies between defence and civilian industries, including SMEs and start-ups;
• recommends integrating the percentage of cooperative and intra-European purchasing targets expressed in the ‘EDIS’ communication, in the EDIP regulatory document.