EU defense spending on hold pending Trump's inauguration
All work related to the financing of armaments has been suspended until the European Union summit on February 3. Decisions about Europe's defense spending will be made only after Donald Trump's inauguration.
Discussion on the potential allocation of EU funds for armaments from non-EU sources, including the USA, has been paused until the February 3 summit. As reported by PAP, the EU leaders will address defense financing by the Union at this meeting, which follows Donald Trump's inauguration.
It will then become clear whether the previously proposed plan to involve equipment from outside the EU will continue. This proposal suggested that 35% of EU funds would be allocated for this purpose.
Defense financing in the EU is suspended as they await Donald Trump's inauguration
The European Defense Industry Program (EDIP) is a key component of the discussion. The project to establish the EDIP was inherited from the Hungarians by the Polish Presidency.
Starting next week, additional work in the working group will be conducted in the EU Council. However, this will not include the most contentious issue: what percentage of EU funds can be allocated for financing armaments from third countries, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom.
Poland and the Netherlands have shown interest in allowing limited financing of defense products from non-EU sources using EU funds. On the other hand, France, which boasts the strongest defense industry in Europe, advocates for 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 is scheduled for February in Belgium.
