Consultation to contribute to the Defence Omnibus Simplification Proposal

On 6 March 2025, the European Council called the Commission “to swiftly take work forward on simplifying the legal and administrative framework, in particular for public procurement, industry cooperation, permitting and reporting requirements, in order to address all obstacles and bottlenecks hindering a rapid ramping up of the defence industry, including for SMEs and mid-caps. In this context, the European Council invites the Commission to prioritise a defence-specific simplification omnibus."

The White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030 adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2025 envisages that the Commission will present a dedicated Defence Omnibus Simplification proposal by June 2025. In particular, it recalls that "regulatory simplification and harmonisation must focus both on rules and procedures that are specific to the defence sector, and on the impact on the defence industry of EU policies and regulations that are not defence-specific, but which impede the European defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB) from responding with maximum agility to the current heightened needs."

In this perspective, DG DEFIS is currently collecting data, evidence and suggestions from stakeholders (Member States, industry and others) with the aim of (i) removing regulatory barriers/discriminations which affect the European defence industry in EU-regulations and programmes, (ii) simplifying and accelerating procurement procedures for the European defence industry and to simplify and facilitate transfer of defence products in the Internal Market, as well as (iii) simplifying EU defence programmes, in particular the European Defence Fund (EDF).

The survey can be found here.

Who should respond to this consultation?

It is addressed to defence industrial players and businesses with ties to the defence industry, Member States and other relevant stakeholders (such as the financial sector).

This consultation will close on 22 April 2025.

How should you respond to this consultation?

When responding to the questionnaire:

• Please make sure that you are addressing a well-identified problem; and that you link it to a specific existing provision of an EU text, always being mindful to be as concrete as possible (eg, refer to an exact provision).
• Please always elaborate why a certain issue is particular to the defence sector and provide specific examples.
• Please also provide, if possible, a cost estimate of the magnitude of possible cost savings for your entity and for the sector in general.
• Please only respond to the questions which are relevant for you.

Other

Should you have a problem completing this questionnaire or if you require particular assistance, please contact:
DEFIS-SIMPLIFICATION@ec.europa.eu