The European Commission proposes measures to speed up defence investments and production to make the EU more responsive to today’s security challenges, as outlined in the Commission’sÌý.
The measures, laid down in aÌýDefence Readiness Omnibus, aim to help Member States and industry scale up defence capabilities and infrastructure to reach the levels of readiness required to prepare for and thereby deter a high intensity conflict. The measures reduce red tape, facilitate investments in defence capabilities and provide greater predictability to industry. They also make it easier to access EU funding. For this purpose, the Omnibus will:
- Introduce aÌýfast-track permitting regimeÌýfor defence projects: across the EU, the permitting process can take several years. The proposal reduces this timeframe to 60 days. It also proposes to establish Single Points of Contact in Member States for the defence industry.
- Reduce administrative burden in theÌýÌýfor applicants and participants.ÌýIt will also facilitate increased participation of Ukrainian entities in the European Defence Fund.
- Ease procurement byÌýencouraging joint purchasesÌýand increase contract thresholds, therebyÌýspeeding up cross-border transfers of defence products.
- Clarify the application of existing EU-wide rulesÌýsuch as competition or environmental legislation.
- Ensure thatÌýchemicals regulationsÌýaccommodate defence needs.
- Improve access to financeÌýby streamlining InvestEU eligibility criteria, providing guidance on sustainable investments in defence and clarifying the notion of prohibited weapons under the Sustainable Finance Framework.
Together, these changes aim to improve Europe’s ability to act quickly, coordinate more effectively, and ensure its defence industry can deliver at speed and scale.
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