EU will propose more flexibility for defence procurement, commissioner says
BRUSSELS, June 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission will propose next week to give governments more flexibility on defence procurement and make access to European funding easier, European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said on Tuesday.
"Without this simplification, nothing else in defence readiness will be possible to achieve," Kubilius told a conference in Brussels. "Putin will not wait for us to get our paperwork in order," he added.
The European defence industry has raised concerns about EU red tape and delays in accessing funds.
The proposal, expected to be presented on June 17, will aim to address some of these complaints.
"We intend to give more flexibility to member states in common procurements, more flexibility on framework agreements, and we intend to facilitate innovation procurement," he said, adding that the Commission also wants to make access to the bloc's defence fund "easier".
The commissioner said it would also be important to look at other rules that impact defence, pointing to permits, reporting obligations, competition rules and sustainable finance.
Kubilius said the Commission will propose simplifying a directive on defence procurement and a directive on intra-EU transfers of defence products.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
ALEX BRUMMER: If this is a fixed economy, I'd hate to see a broken one
Nearly half a century has passed since Margaret Thatcher skewered the incumbent PM James Callaghan at the 1979 election with her famous ' Labour Isn't Working' poster, which showed dole queues stretching across the horizon. We are not quite there yet. But after years of low unemployment in Britain, Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer have brought chaos – in just 11 months – to what was one of the strongest labour markets in Europe. Last October's Budget and its central and perhaps most hated policy – an increase in employers' National Insurance to 15 per cent – added no less than £23 billion to bosses' wage bills. And for all this Government's promise not to raise taxes on 'working people', it's now clear that this misguided and self-defeating pledge is having a vicious impact on jobs. Companies are proving reluctant to take on new workers, are deliberately not replacing colleagues who move on and are taking the opportunity to cut costs by making people redundant. The only silver lining is slowing wage increases, at least in the private sector, should make it possible for the Bank of England to lower interest rates by a further 0.25 per cent this summer to 4 per cent – making mortgages and borrowing cheaper. The public sector is another matter, of course, and has enjoyed lavish raises at the expense of the productive part of the economy – to say nothing of its far more generous gold-plated pensions, paid out of direct taxation. But overall the picture is dire. The National Insurance increase, along with a hugely generous rise in the minimum wage – now one of the highest on the planet – surging fuel costs and rising business rates, have shattered business confidence. Companies are shedding jobs at an alarming rate. Figures collected by HMRC show that 55,000 jobs were lost in April alone and numbers 'were notably weaker' than expected, according to bankers Goldman Sachs. Vacancies are tumbling, too – these stood at 736,000 in the three months to April, down from 760,000 in the previous period, and were at 1.4 million as recently as 2022. The unemployment rate, which was 3.6 per cent of the workforce prior to the pandemic, has now zipped up to 4.6 per cent. And the worst part? There's more to come. Businesses are steeling themselves for socialist firebrand Angela Rayner's beloved Employment Rights Bill, currently grinding its way through Parliament, which will make hiring new workers even more expensive. To peals of outrage (and a front-page Daily Mail headline: 'Deluded'), this week Sir Keir claimed to have 'fixed' our public finances, thus making possible his Government's U-turn on snatching the winter fuel allowance from millions of pensioners. Well, if this is what 'fixed' looks like, Sir Keir, I'd hate to see the economy 'broken'. Rising unemployment is a menace. It inevitably raises the cost of Britain's already gargantuan welfare bill – and it simultaneously reduces Government revenues due to lower income tax and National Insurance receipts. In 1979, unemployment stood at 5.3 per cent – and, despite the Iron Lady's famous poster, it rose to a staggering 11.9 per cent by 1984 on her watch. We are a long way from those days. Yet as I have said before, Ms Reeves – with last year's £40 billion tax-raising Budget, locked Britain into a doom loop of plummeting business confidence, rising unemployment and reduced job choices. Yesterday's multi-year public-spending review will splash the cash on investments in nuclear power, science and technology, roads and railways. As helpful as all that may be, it will mean more Government borrowing and debt that will take years to pay off. Expect unemployment to keep on rising until the Government changes course.
Edinburgh Reporter
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
First Minister meeting with EU Ambassador to the UK
First Minister John Swinney will meet European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom Pedro Serrano at Bute House on Wednesday to discuss the challenges and opportunities to arise from the recent deal between the UK and the EU. They will be joined by the Slovenian Ambassador Sanja Štiglic and Bulgarian Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev, as part of a delegation to Scotland. Later today the First Minister will also meet the Minister-President of Flanders at an event to celebrate 25 years of Flemish trade and investment in Scotland. The First Minister views both engagements as opportunities to reinforce the strong relationship that exists between Scotland and the EU. He said: 'The European Union is one of our most important economic and security partners. While the deal struck on the 19 May represents long-overdue progress in rebuilding our relationship, no agreement can deliver the economic, social and security benefits we lost with Brexit in 2020. 'That is why I firmly believe Scotland's best future lies as an independent country within the EU. More than ever, the current uncertain economic and geopolitical environment reinforces the importance of Scotland having the security, stability and opportunity that comes with EU membership. 'In the meantime we will continue to engage with nations and regions across Europe to maximise opportunities through trade, investment, innovation and academia. As we enter the next phase of negotiations, we stand ready to be closely involved as the UK Government develops its future priorities for working with the EU.' Bute House PHOTO © 2024 The Edinburgh Reporter Like this: Like Related
North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
At least 10 dead in Austrian school shooting
The suspected perpetrator also died, the city's mayor said. Special forces were among those sent to the BORG Dreierschutzengasse high school, just under a mile from Graz's historic centre, after a call at 10am local time (9am BST). At 11.30am (10.30am BST), police wrote on social network X that the school had been evacuated and everyone had been taken to a safe meeting point. Authorities say the assailant was a 21-year-old Austrian man who had two weapons, which he appeared to have owned legally. Police said they did not immediately have information on the man's motive, but said that he killed himself in a toilet after fatally shooting nine people. Austrian interior minister Gerhard Karner said at a press conference in Graz that the gunman was a former student at the school who did not finish his studies. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said there would be three days of national mourning, with the Austrian flag lowered to half-staff and a national minute of mourning at 10am on Wednesday (9am BST). He said that it was 'a dark day in the history of our country'. Police deployed in large numbers, with police and other emergency vehicles guarding the area around the school and with at least one police helicopter flying above the area, according to photos published by the regional newspaper Kleine Zeitung. Graz, Austria's second-biggest city, is located in the south-east of the country and has about 300,000 inhabitants. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, who is going to Graz, said the shooting 'is a national tragedy that deeply shocks our whole country'. 'There are no words for the pain and grief that all of us — the whole of Austria — feel now,' he wrote in a statement posted on X. Die Nachrichten aus Graz treffen ins Mark. Meine Gedanken sind bei den Opfern, ihren Familien und Freunden. Schulen sind Symbole für Jugend, Hoffnung, und Zukunft. Es ist schwer zu ertragen, wenn Schulen zu Orten von Tod und Gewalt werden. Mein Dank gilt den Einsatzkräften… — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 10, 2025 President Alexander Van der Bellen said that 'this horror cannot be captured in words'. 'These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied them on their way,' he said. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: 'Schools are symbols for youth, hope and the future. 'It is hard to bear when schools become places of death and violence.'
