Position paper - Policy brief on the European Defence Fund

Together with the position paper on the European Defence Action Plan (EDAP), AmCham EU has developed a concise policy brief concentrating on the plans first pillar, the European Defence Fund (EDF).

AmCham EU welcomes the European Commission’s flagship proposal to establish a European Defence Fund (EDF) aimed at incentivising collaborative defence research and capability development between EU Member States.

Yet, as it currently stands, there is a risk that key industry players will be disqualified from participation of the fund. Their absence could not only substantially harm ongoing and future transatlantic defence cooperation, but could ultimately generate tensions in the realm of security and defence.

This paper identifies these issues, provides recommendations on how they could be avoided and highlights through industry examples how transatlantic cooperation has led to the strengthening of both EU and US defence industrial bases.