Sittings · Document
DRAFT OPINION (2025/2142(INI)) 2025-10-09
On European Defence Readiness 2030: assessment of needs
Committee on Budgets · Rapporteur: Lucia Yar
on European Defence Readiness 2030: assessment of needs
AMENDMENTS
The Committee on Budgets submits the following to the Committee on Security and Defence, as the committee responsible:
Amendment 1
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| B. whereas the Commission estimates that Member States will need to invest an additional EUR 800 billion in defence by 2030 under the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan, involving an annual increase of 10% in spending to reach around EUR 575 billion in 2030, or 3.15% of combined GDP; whereas, in its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034, the Commission allocates EUR 131 billion to defence and space, five times more than in the previous period; | B. whereas European defence capabilities suffer from decades of under-investment and whereas the Commission estimates that Member States will need to invest an additional EUR 800 billion in defence by 2030 under the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan, involving an annual increase of 10% in spending to reach around EUR 575 billion in 2030, or 3.15% of combined GDP; |
Or. en
Amendment 2
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Ba. whereas, in its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034, the Commission allocates EUR 115,7 billion1a to defence and space under the European Competitiveness Fund, five times more than in the previous period, as well as EUR 15,7 billion2a for military mobility under the Connecting Europe Facility, a tenfold increase compared to the previous period aiming at supporting the development of transport infrastructure that can be used for both civilian and military purposes; | |
| 1a in 2025 constant prices | |
| 2a in 2025 constant prices |
Or. en
Amendment 3
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Bb. whereas EU citizens rightly expect more from the Union and its budget, including the capacity to respond quickly and effectively to evolving threats and to provide the necessary support to bolster defence capabilities, especially in times of crisis; whereas the next MFF should support a comprehensive security approach and appropriately prioritise measures that strengthen defence readiness and resilience; whereas this is especially relevant in Member States bordering Russia and Belarus as well as at other directly exposed frontiers; whereas continued support to Ukraine remains a primary pillar of the Union’s security posture; |
Or. en
Amendment 4
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 2. Welcomes the proposals set out in the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan to offer Member States greater budgetary flexibility, in particular the loan facility under the EUR 150 billion ‘Security Action for Europe’ instrument; regrets, however, that the Commission has based this instrument on Article 122 TFEU, thereby ruling out consultation with Parliament, which prevents monitoring and control of the funds and risks exacerbating disparities between Member States; calls on the Commission to refrain from applying this article to other components of the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan, as well as to other issues related to defence financing; | 2. Welcomes the objectives of the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan to increasing defence funding, fostering joint procurement, stimulating private investment, and establishing a truly European defence market to achieve strategic autonomy, while offering Member States greater budgetary flexibility; regrets however that the financing identified by the Commission under ReArm Europe consists mostly of national expenditure and therefore does not contribute optimally to cooperation among Member States, synergies or economies of scale, and therefore does not provide European added-value nor an increase of the effectiveness of public spending as would have been the case for a programme funded through the EU budget; strongly deplores that the legislative act establishing the loan facility under the EUR 150 billion ‘Security Action for Europe’ (SAFE) instrument is based on Article 122 TFEU without proper justification, thereby undermining Parliament’s legislative and scrutiny functions and putting at risk democratic legitimacy; calls on the Commission to refrain from applying this article to other components of the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan, as well as to any future proposal related to defence financing; firmly criticises the fact that procurements carried out by one Member State are eligible for support under SAFE, where the contract is signed no later than 30 May 2026 , since that fails to incentivise common procurement and market defragmentation, risking ultimately to exacerbate disparities between Member States; encourages Member States to ensure that the use of Union funds and defence instruments such as SAFE is consistent with shared strategic objectives; stresses that access to EU financial instruments in the field of security and defence should be in line with common defence policy frameworks and principles, following clear conditions safeguarding policy coherence and compliance with Union rules; |
Or. en
Amendment 5
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4. Calls on the Commission to consolidate and clarify the ‘defence’ envelope provided for in the 2028-2034 MFF, exploring all options to support Member States’ defence investments without increasing their contributions or taxation, in particular through existing mechanisms; | deleted. |
Or. en
Amendment 6
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4a. Criticises the Commission for not providing a sufficiently detailed breakdown of the defence envelope in its proposal for the 2028–2034 MFF; reiterates Parliament's previous calls on the Commission to explore all options to support Member States’ defence investments and to maximise the synergies in existing mechanisms to support Union’s defence readiness; |
Or. en
Amendment 7
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4b. Underlines the value of the defence programmes and instruments launched under the current MFF, creating a solid basis for future Union action. Recalls Parliament’s call to advance towards a genuine European Defence Union and to ensure that the next MFF supports a comprehensive security approach through increased and coordinated investment, without undermining long-term economic, social and territorial cohesion. |
Or. en
Amendment 8
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4c. Highlights the need for a competitive and resilient EDTIB; stresses that stronger EU-level investment in defence in the next MFF underpinned by transparent governance, can reduce duplication, deliver economies of scale, and enhance interoperability. Underscores the importance of investing in modern defence systems, research, drones and anti-drone technologies, cyber-defence, cybersecurity and dual-use technologies and of supporting the Union’s defence industry to strengthen strategic autonomy, foster innovation and create quality jobs and to create cross-border opportunities for EU businesses, including SMEs; |
Or. en
Amendment 9
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4d. Reiterates Parliament’s call to secure sufficient resources for these priorities, including through the adoption of new own resources and, where necessary, joint borrowing to meet common security and defence challenges; |
Or. en
Amendment 10
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 5. Regrets that the EIB’s investment policy still excludes ‘arms and munitions’; calls, in the interests of consistency with the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan, for the EIB to strengthen its commitment to the European defence industry; suggests formally extending its mandate to include support for the EDTIB within a specialised subsidiary, backed by Commission guarantees and supported by a network of experts; believes that such a structure would be a more effective solution than the creation of a new ‘defence, security and resilience bank’, as proposed in the resolution on the White Paper on the future of European defence; | 5. Regrets that the EIB’s investment policy still excludes ‘arms and munitions’ despite repeated calls by the European Parliament for change, and that its interventions so far have been insufficient in speed, risk appetite and scale to meet urgent defence-readiness needs; calls, in the interests of consistency with the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan, for the EIB to strengthen its commitment to the European defence industry; takes note of the progress made in opening up its criteria, but considers that these remain insufficient in light of the needs and the expectations expressed by European defence companies; |
Or. en
Amendment 11
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 8. Calls on the EIB, with the support of Member States, to attain a figure of EUR 4 billion for short-term loans with risk guarantees of up to 50%, and calls for the relaxation and simplification of the EIB’s defence commitment criteria, as well as the extension of eligibility to indirect subcontractors; | deleted. |
Or. en
Amendment 12
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 12. Considers it essential to support a European market of specialised investors offering a continuum of financing (credit, private debt and equity) to companies in the EDTIB at all stages (start-ups, SMEs and mid-cap companies); welcomes the Commission and the EIB’s initiative to establish the Defence Equity Facility, with a budget of EUR 175 million for the period 2024-2027; encourages the EIB to increase this budget to EUR 1 billion in order to better meet the equity needs of the EDTIB and its value chain; | 12. Considers it essential to support a European market of specialised investors offering a continuum of financing (credit, private debt and equity) to companies in the EDTIB at all stages (start-ups, SMEs and mid-cap companies); welcomes the Commission and the EIB’s initiative to establish the Defence Equity Facility, with a budget of EUR 175 million for the period 2024-2027; calls on the EIB to increase this budget to EUR 1 billion in order to better meet the equity needs of the EDTIB and its value chain; |
Or. en
Amendment 13
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 12a. Welcomes the Commission proposal1a for a delegated act to the InvestEU Fund investment guidelines on strategic investments in the field of defence, which calls for the removal of unnecessary administrative burden in relation to the use of budgetary guarantees and financial instruments to support defence investment, thereby offering additional simplification while respecting the need to protect the security of the EU and the Member States; | |
| __________________ | |
| 1a https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/document/download/bde304e1-5ae4-4a16-9309-1a193483572a_en?filename=Delegated-Regulation-amending-Delegated-Regulation-EU20211078-InvestEU.pdf |
Or. en
Amendment 14
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 12b. Insists that more must be done to maximise the potential of the role of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group – together with other international and national financial institutions – in lending and de-risking in strategic policy areas, such as security and defence projects; calls for an increased risk appetite and ambition from the EIB Group to crowd in investment, based on a strong capital position, and for a reinforced investment partnership to ensure that every euro spent at Union level is used in the most effective manner; |
Or. en