The future budget of the European Defence Fund is being discussed in the context of the debate on the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027. The European Defence Fund, which the Commission has been experimenting with since 2017, is intended to finance research, development and implementation projects in the field of defence.
This is the first time in the history of the European Union that the Commission has a fund specifically dedicated to military investments. This does not, however, mean that it is to be regarded as a common defence policy of any kind. With this fund, the Commission is taking a position on a purely industrial and economic issue.
The aim of the EDF is to provide the European Union with the means to acquire greater technological and military autonomy, with the idea of detaching itself from American technological dependence in particular. This is a crucial issue for projects to develop a new fighter aircraft, a new generation tank or a European drone.
