The European Defence Fund (EDF) needs to review its strategy and programming after only three years of existence. It was created in 2021 under the European Union Global Strategy (EUGS), thanks to the push made by EU Member states at the time. The political will to invest in European security has gained significant momentum thanks largely to the EDF, particularly in strengthening the European Defence and Technology Industrial Basis (EDTIB). The objective is to fund armament and spend in common.

The European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS), proposed by the Commission in March 2024, is more precise than the EUGS on defence matters and marks the EU’s first-ever defence strategy. The EDIS was created to achieve industrial defence readiness by 2035 and strengthen the European Defence and Technological Industrial Basis (EDTIB) (European Commission 2024b). This strategy will influence the EDF’s programming and its presentation in the next Multi-Financial Framework.

The EDF’s proposal, rooted in the Junker administration (2014-2019), is a long-term project initially championed by France, supported by Germany, Italy and Spain, which advocated for a European Security Pact, proposed on 26 August 2016 (Pène, 2021). This project was centred on the need for capacity building in the defence domain, which asked to create a dedicated programme. The EU Member states addressed the defence capacities gap and concerns and try to avoid the fragmentation of the EDTIB by spending together on defence products with a dedicated timeline.