"Everything can still change," repeated sources in the halls of the EU institutions on 23 June, referring to the draft European Council conclusions circulating and that include the very controversial section on migration. The General Affairs Council discussed them but it will be for the heads of state and government to decide unanimously, at the dinner on the evening of 25 June, on the final version.
The draft in question includes the compromise worked out by France and Germany. The…
Preparatory action under discussion
To offset the lack of defence investments and strengthen the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB), research needs to be boosted. First, by stimulating synergy on dual-use research (civil and military), notably financially through the Horizon 2020 programme, but also by financing out of the EU budget CSDP-related research projects. The EU summit on 25-26 June is expected to assert this position defended by the Commission, barring blocking tactics by the UK, and recommend "appropriate financing" for this type of research (according to the draft seen by Europolitics). The Commission is working on a preparatory action – an experimental short-term programme – budgeted with 50 million euro over three years. A high-level expert group is assessing the research opportunities along these lines that could be financed in the next multiannual budgetary framework, ie after 2020. A detailed proposal will be presented in 2016, with launch of the programme planned for 2017. If successful, the experience could then give rise to recurring EU funding of defence research.
