Eight key points are laid down in the decision of yesterday’s leaders regarding . In detail, the decision of the European summit published today (22.03. 24) the morning provides for the following that the European Union commits itself to increasing its overall defence readiness and capacity to meet its needs and ambitions in the context of increasing threats and security challenges. Based on the Versailles statement and the strategic compass, she is committed to reducing her strategic dependencies and increasing her abilities. The European defence technological and industrial base should be strengthened accordingly throughout the Union. Increasing defence readiness and strengthening Union sovereignty will require additional efforts, in accordance with the competences of the Member States, for: 1. The fulfilment of the joint commitment to a substantial increase in defence spending, and to invest better and faster together; 2. Improving the access of the European defence industry to public and private funding. In this context, the European Council invites the Council and the Commission to explore all options for mobilising funding and to report by June (p. On 6 – 9 June the European elections are scheduled). In addition, the European Investment Bank is invited to adapt its policy of granting loans to the defence industry and its current definition of dual-use goods while ensuring its financial capacity, 3. To provide incentives for development and joint procurement to address critical EU capabilities, in particular strategic catalysts, as well as to fully exploit synergies between national and European defence planning procedures, 4. To strengthen collaborative – joint investment in defence, research and development at the planning stage, industrialisation and joint procurement, and to improve their predictability, e.g. through multi-annual fixed-term contracts, 5. To increase the resilience of the European defence industry, its flexibility and its ability to produce innovative defence products, strengthening their interoperability and exchangeability and ensuring their availability in the Member States, To provide incentives for further integration of the European defence market across the Union, facilitating access to supply chains in the field of defence, in particular for SMEs and medium-capitalised companies, and reducing bureaucracy, Strengthening rapid response and early identification of bottlenecks in supply chains for the defence market and ensuring that EU regulations do not constitute an obstacle to the development of the European defence industry, 8. Supporting initiatives to continue investments in skilled labour to address prevailing labour shortages and skills in the defence industry. The European Council invites the Council, the High Representative and the Commission to rapidly promote work on the joint communication on a European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS). It also called on the Council to promote work without delay on the accompanying proposal for a European defence programme industry (EDIP). The implementation of the Compass Strategy remains a key element in increasing Europe’s defence readiness and should be accelerated. The EU’s rapid development programme Capacity, military mobility, live exercises, space security strengthening, the fight against cyberspace and hybrid threats and the fight against manipulation and intervention of foreign information (FIMI) are of particular importance in this respect. A stronger and more capable European Union in the field of security and defence will contribute positively to global and transatlantic security and will be complementary to NATO, which remains the foundation of collective defence for its members, says the summit decision. This is without prejudice to the specific nature of the security and defence sector of certain Member States, and takes into account the security and defence interests of all Member States, it concludes.
The 8 points of the European Defence Summit
—