The European Union continues in its effort to push Member States to increase weapons purchases and improve their defense skills. The Commission presented the fifth Omnibus package, the interventions promised by President Ursula von der Leyen to simplify European regulations, this flies dedicated to the war industry in order to accelerate military production in the countries of the Union.
The so -called Defense Readinbus Omnibus, which now awaits the OK of Parliament and EU Council, aims to strengthen the EU’s industrial capacity in view of possible high intensity conflicts, reducing bureaucracy and facilitating access to European funding.
Thus Europe is rearmed: Von der Leyen’s plan is worth 800 billion
The initiative is an integral part of the strategy outlined in the White Paper for the readiness of the European Defense 2030 and responds to the request of the European Council of March to intervene with urgent measures in support of the war industry. Objective stated: make Europe “more reactive” than current security threats.
Strengthen collective deterrence
“With the Defense Readinus Omnibus we are sending a clear political signal: Europe is serious in the field of defense and credible preparation. We are reducing the bureaucracy to help member states and industry to act more quickly, to invest in an intelligent way and strengthen our collective deterrence,” said Henna Virkkunen, vice -president executive for technological sovereignty, safety and safety. democracy.
According to the defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius, “the only way to guarantee peace in Europe is to make sure that we are ready to defend ourselves in a credible and rapid way”, and with this packet Brussels would advance “ambitious proposals to reduce the bureaucracy and facilitate investments for the defense of 800 billion euros that the Member States must urgently undertake to guarantee the prompt of European defense by 2030”.
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Among the main innovations, the proposal introduces a rapid authorization procedure for defense projects, with a maximum limit of 60 days to obtain the necessary permits, instead of the multi -year times currently provided. Each Member State will then have to establish a single door to assist companies in the sector.
The package also provides for a simplification for participation in the European Defense Fund (EDF), which currently has a equipment of six billion for joint projects between the EU states for the research and development of military means and weapons, with slimmer rules for beneficiaries and greater opening to Ukrainians. The possibility of joint purchases between blocking countries is also encouraged, with the raising of the contractual thresholds and a simplification of transfrontier transfrontors of military products.
To support investments, the Commission then intends to facilitate access to investments, providing new guidelines to consider certain projects in the defense sector “sustainable”, while clarifying that the prohibited weapons will continue to be excluded from funding.
