29/04/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 29 April, MEPs approved the interinstitutional agreement reached on 14 December on the European Defence Fund (EDF) (see EUROPE 12622/13). The EDF had already been the subject of a partial agreement in February 2019 (see EUROPE 12198/22) on the general objectives and structure of the Fund, but budgetary and horizontal issues remained outstanding. The Fund should be provided with a financial envelope of €7.953 billion at current prices. This includes €2.651 billion for research and €5.302 billion for development actions. It will invest in projects involving at least three participants from three Member States, provide co-financing for joint prototypes, and promote cross-border activities of SMEs by making more funding available. (CG)