Ref. Ares(2018)1453449 - 16/03/2018
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Space Policy, Copernicus and Defence
Scoping Paper on the
European Defence Fund post 2020
This paper is only a services working document which does not necessarily
represent the position of the Commission
The objective of this paper is to discuss informally with Member States a number of
issues related to the European Defence Fund post 2020. The list of issues is not
exhaustive and additional issues will be discussed with Member States at a later
stage.
1.
CONTEXT
The overarching objective of the European Defence Fund (EDF) launched by the
Commission in June 2017 is to contribute to the competitiveness and innovation capacity
of the EU defence industry leading to the overall reduction of fragmentation of
capabilities throughout the Union, greater efficiency in defence spending, interoperability
between the forces and thus strengthening EU strategic autonomy. The EDF aims at
complementing, and not substituting to, Member States efforts which are mainly
responsible for research and development in the field of defence.
More concretely the EDF supports and leverages collaboration between Member States,
cooperation amongst R&T actors and cross-border cooperation between undertakings
throughout the Union, including small and medium-sized enterprises, throughout the
industrial cycle, notably in the research phase and the capability development phase. The
EDF should support actions in line with defence capability priorities commonly agreed
by Member States within the Union.
Research and capability development are intrinsically interlinked and contribute to the
same objective which is at the end to deliver the capabilities needed to fulfil Member
States' level of ambition. Therefore, the EDF should be considered as one single
instrument. Consistency between research and development is essential and should be
notably ensured when defining categories of projects and priorities in the work
programmes.
Defence research is essential to develop the future key capabilities, bridge technological
gaps and thereby address emerging and future security threats facing Europe. In its
Communication of 7 June 2017 on the launch of the EDF, the Commission has already
indicated that the future research window should focus on critical defence technologies
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
as well as exploratory and disruptive research with the potential to strengthen the
technological leadership of the European defence industry. This could notably cover a
limited number of innovative actions with specific high risks. The EU budget should
support all eligible costs of the research actions.
As regards development, the objective of the EDF is to support the joint development of
key defence capabilities. The capability development phase is normally driven by
Member States, in particular for the development of prototypes. As a general rule, the EU
budget should not support all the costs of specific projects or actions, but contribute to
the financing and thereby encourage cooperation by reducing the risks and sharing the
financial burden during the development phase. The direct involvement of Member
States, including through co-financing of the major part of the project's costs or the
intention to procure the final product or technology constitute a clear indication on
viability of the project.
2.
PRINCIPLES
Article 4(1)(a) and Article 4(3)
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Article 4(1)(a) and Article 4(3)
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Article 4(1)(a) and Article 4(3)
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Article 4(1)(a) and Article 4(3)
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Article 4(1)(a) and Article 4(3)
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Article 4(1)(a) and Article 4(3)
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