On Tuesday, 25 November, MEPs supported—by 457 votes in favour, 148 against, and 33 abstentions—the agreement reached during the interinstitutional negotiations held this past 16 October on the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) (see EUROPE 13733/4).
While emphasising that EDIP strengthens the EU’s autonomy and promotes ‘buying European’ (the cost of components from third countries must not exceed 35% of the estimated cost of components in the final product) and joint purchasing, several MEPs lamented during a debate that the programme’s budget is only €1.5 billion (including €300 million for the Ukraine support instrument). However, this amount may be supplemented by contributions made via SAFE and by redirecting unused funds from the ‘Recovery and Resilience Facility’.
An amendment submitted by The Left that called on the European Parliament to reject the European Commission’s proposal was not adopted (116 votes in favour—mainly ESN, PfE, and The Left—and 490 against with 43 abstentions).
Member States still need to formally approve the text, which will then be published in the Official Journal of the EU. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)