Implementation dialogue on EU Defence with Commissioner Andrius Kubilius

As announced in the White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030, the Commission will present a dedicated Defence Omnibus Simplification proposal ('Omnibus') by June 2025. The objective is to achieve regulatory simplification and harmonisation on rules and procedures that are specific to the defence sector, as well as 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.

Further to an open public consultation, Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) collected data, evidence and suggestions from Member States, industry and other stakeholders on legal, regulatory and administrative obstacles that restrict the ability of the European defence industry to scale up production with enhanced agility to achieve defence readiness by 2030. The Omnibus will present both immediate corrective measures and long-term strategic solutions to address these impediments.

Objectives of the dialogue:

The first Implementation Dialogue on Defence served as a high-level discussion between Commissioner Andrius Kubilius and leaders within the EU defence industry. Taking place during the final phase of the consultation process for the Omnibus, this event offered an opportunity for the Commission to ensure that all stakeholder concerns and needs have been shared and considered. The dialogue aimed to provide comprehensive input before the adoption of the Commission's proposal on the Defence Omnibus.     

The implementation dialogue allowed to:

• Foster high-level collaboration between the Commission and industry leaders.
• Identify opportunities and challenges within the defence industry.
• Identify best practices that could be further extended and supported by the Commission
• Identify obstacles relating to existing rules and their implementation that could be considered into the Omnibus adoption
• Suggest actionable insights and strategies to simplify EU rules for industry advancement.

Themes discussed:

For this first implementation dialogue with stakeholders from this industry, and considering previously presented context, exchanges were structured around the following themes, guiding the discussions and facilitating exchanges:

• Regulatory obstacles and biases impacting the European defence industry within EU regulations and non-defence-specific programmes, such as EU legislation regarding permits and authorizations for defence production and manufacturing.
• Streamlining and expediting processes for the European defence industry as per EU defence Directives (including defence procurements and intra-EU transfers) and EU defence programmes (such as EDF, EDIRPA, ASAP)

Two sessions were organised on the above themes, each focusing on the following questions:

• What simplification proposals could be identified to eliminate bottlenecks (regulatory, administrative, procedural) that hamper the agile ramp-up of EU defence production and associated supply chains, and impede the armed forces from delivering on the defence readiness by 2030?
• Which of these simplifications could offer "quick fix" solutions versus "long-term solutions"?
• Which of these could be considered permanent solutions compared to temporary derogations to be invoked in the event of severe international tensions constituting a threat of war?

Format:

Commissioner Andrius Kubilius chaired the meeting with the support of an external moderator to facilitate the dynamic exchanges with industry. 

60 Leaders/CEOs from 34 companies of the EU defence industry have been invited, ensuring representation from diverse sectors and company sizes.

Outcomes:

• Strengthened partnerships and collaborative efforts between the European Commission and industry leaders.
• Formulation of concrete recommendations and actionable steps for driving the defence industry forward through simplifying EU regulatory framework and procedures.
• Contribute to the finalisation of the Omnibus proposal to be adopted ahead of the European Council meeting.