A reinforced EDIP as backbone for European autonomy and common defence

Today, S&D MEPs in the committee on security and defence (SEDE) and the committee on industry, research and energy (ITRE) will vote in favour of the European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP) report. Through their recent work on the EDIP, the S&Ds are ensuring it will serve as a backbone for common European defence and strategic autonomy, securing the budget needed for meaningful impact while protecting the EU as a peace project. The EDIP will represent a quality step up in defence investment, empowering European industries to independently and sufficiently supply our defence, and promoting joint procurement and maintenance by member states. This maximises the impact of every euro invested in defence, creates quality jobs, boosts competitiveness, and advances Ukraine’s integration into the EU’s defence industrial base. Yannis Maniatis, S&D vice-president for foreign affairs, security and defence, international energy security and cooperation, and negotiator on the file in ITRE, said: “As our relationship with the United States is changing rapidly while Russia’s war on Ukraine rages on and hybrid threats to European countries are on the rise, the EU must be prepared to ensure the safety of its citizens, democracies and economies on its own. This means we must strengthen our defence capabilities. “The EU remains a peace project, and the EDIP is key for our strategic autonomy in defence to be able to protect that peace project. It serves as a cornerstone for EU preparedness,...