EU defence spending on hold pending Trump's inauguration
All work regarding the financing of armaments has been suspended until the European Union summit on February 3. Decisions about Europe's defence spending will be made only after Donald Trump is inaugurated.
Work on the possibility of allocating EU funds for armaments from outside the EU, including from the USA, has been suspended until the February 3 summit. As determined by PAP, at this meeting of EU leaders, which takes place after the inauguration of Donald Trump, they will discuss the issues of defence financing by the Union.
It will then be clear whether the previously raised proposal concerning equipment from outside the EU will be maintained. It suggested that 35% of EU funds would be allocated for this purpose.
Defence financing in the EU is suspended. They are waiting for Donald Trump's inauguration
The European Defence Industry Program (EDIP) is a key element of the discussion. The project to establish the EDIP was taken over from the Hungarians by the Polish Presidency.
Starting next week, further work in the working group will be conducted in the EU Council. However, it will not cover the most contentious element, which is what percentage of EU funds can be allocated for financing armaments from third countries, especially the United States and the United Kingdom.
Poland and the Netherlands were interested in allowing a limited possibility of financing defence products from outside the EU with EU funds. Meanwhile, France, which has the strongest defence industry in Europe, wants only European equipment to be financed from the EU budget.
Decisions on this matter will be made at the highest political level in the EU. The meeting will take place in February in Belgium.
