On the second day of the plenary session in Strasbourg, on Tuesday 3 August, the MEPs definitively adopted (478 votes to 179 and 23 abstentions) the inter-institutional agreement on the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP).
“It is an important step for Defence Europe that we will take by adopting this regulation tomorrow”, said Françoise Grossetête (EPP, France), rapporteur on this legislative text. During the debate the day before, she stressed that this was the first Community programme in the field of the defence industry. In her view, the text agreed upon is “solid”, as it takes up many points of Parliament, although the member states are “not used to having a co-legislator” in this area.
Readers may recall that the Council and Parliament agreed for the programme to have an envelope of €500 million, 60% paid for out of the redeployment of existing programmes and 40% out of unallocated margins in the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020. They tightened up the eligibility criteria, notably for third-country entities participating in actions financed by the programme. Direct management was also prioritised. Finally, they agreed to lay greater emphasis on SMEs (see EUROPE 12025, 12024).
Right up to the end, the project divided the MEPs. The EFDD and GUE/NGL tabled amendments rejecting it, which were defeated (149 votes to 491 and 36 abstentions). When approached by EUROPE for comment, EFDD member Jörg Meuthen (Germany), who prepared the amendment, explained that he opposed the project as “this kind of industrial policy has never increased competitiveness, neither do the subsidiaries that the programme foresees”.
The EPP supported the report en masse. Most of the S&D also backed it, with the exception of the German delegation, which voted against, along with several Italian MEPs. The ECR did likewise. The Italian delegation of the EFDD supported the agreement. The GUE/NGL and Greens/EFA mostly voted against. The ENF appeared to be split: the French delegation voted against, whilst the Austrians voted in favour.
Readers may recall that the inter-institutional agreement was the foundation on which the Commission created the European Defence Fund (see EUROPE 12040). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)