On Thursday 24 April, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and Security and Defence (SEDE) committees will vote on the draft text of the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP).
According to the draft consolidated compromise amendment, MEPs could tighten the criteria for EDIP support compared to the Commission’s proposal, but relax it compared to that of the European Parliament rapporteurs on EDIP, Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D, French) and François-Xavier Bellamy (EPP, French) (see EUROPE 13605/10).
According to this draft, to be eligible for funding, collaborative projects will have to involve at least four legal entities from at least four Member States or associated countries, compared with three entities from at least three Member States or associated countries in the Commission’s proposal and five entities from at least five Member States or associated countries for the co-rapporteurs. Unlike the rapporteurs, MEPs have removed the requirement to have “at least four eligible entities established in four different Member States”.
The MEPs also believe that the cost of components originating in the EU or associated countries “must not be lower than 70% of the estimated value of the end product”, whereas the co-rapporteurs wanted 80% and the Council of the EU, which has not yet adopted its position, is expected to set the figure at 65%.
MEPs believe that a European defence project of common interest must involve at least six Member States or at least four Member States with a high risk of conventional military threats materialising, and that all Member States and associated countries must have a real opportunity to participate in a project. Ukraine will be allowed to participate in European defence projects of common interest, they add.
The MEPs on the ITRE and SEDE committees will not be voting on the budget issues relating to EDIP, as these were settled by the Committee on Budgets on 10 April. On these points, MEPs backed the increase in EDIP’s budget with €15 billion from the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument and an additional €5 billion to support Ukraine’s Defence Technological and Industrial Base (DTIB). The European Commission is proposing €1.5 billion.
See the draft compromise amendment: https://aeur.eu/f/ghz (Original version in French Camille-Cerise Gessant)