Renew Europe welcomes deal on defence simplification package

The Renew Europe Group welcomes today’s agreement between the Council and the European Parliament on the „Defence Omnibus“ package, a set of measures designed to cut red tape and make Europe’s defence industry faster, stronger and more competitive.

Cutting bureaucracy to boost security

For too long, outdated and overly complex rules have slowed down Europe’s ability to invest in its own defence. The agreement reached removes unnecessary administrative hurdles that were holding back defence projects – from lengthy permit procedures to cumbersome procurement rules. Under the new framework, authorisation decisions for priority projects shall be taken within a standard period of 42 working days. This constitutes a radical reduction in the timelines. Thereby our Group has defended the rule that if Member States do not take any decision within the timeframe, the permit will be automatically approved. This is the necessary incentive to make sure that our Member States will start taking defence permits seriously.

Renew MEP Lucia Yar (Progressive Slovakia, Slovakia), EP rapporteur for the Committee on Defence & Security on the “acceleration of permit-granting for defence projects” file, stated: 

“Faced with the acute threat from our adversaries, Europe can no longer allow paperwork to stand between its citizens and their security. In some Member States, approving a single defence project has taken as long as two years. That is time we can not afford to waste. This deal removes such bureaucratic delays, while giving smaller companies a real chance to take part. It also ensures firm monitoring safeguards, as well as regular Commission review of how the new rules work in practice – a priority Renew fought for.“

Lucia Yar
Renew Europe MEP, Slovakia, Progresívne Slovensko