EU defence projects – solidarity and funding
2.10.2025
Question for written answer E-003850/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Piotr Müller (ECR)
The Commission is coming out with some big plans – from a ‘drone wall’ to a space shield – but as usual, there is no answer to the question of how to ensure genuine solidarity in their implementation.
The projects require the unanimous consent of all Member States, but countries located far from the Russian border may simply not want to finance solutions to what they perceive as an Eastern problem. The distribution of funds is even more concerning: experience shows that the main beneficiaries of EU defence programmes are generally two countries, France and Germany, which are the largest defence manufacturers in the EU.
If the Commission is serious about the security of Europe as a whole, it must show that this is not just about supporting a few large arms companies, but also about involving smaller and younger defence companies from a variety of countries. Without this, the EU ‘shield’ will look like yet another centralised project that will deepen divisions rather than bridge them.
In light of the above:
- 1.How does the Commission intend to convince countries far from the Russian border to jointly finance defence projects such as the ‘drone wall’?
- 2.How will the funds be distributed in order to avoid concentrating support exclusively in France and Germany, which already dominate the European defence industry?
- 3.Will the Commission ensure that young and small defence companies from a variety of EU Member States will have access to funding and a real share in the projects, and not just the major defence companies?
Submitted: 2.10.2025