The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to simplify security and defence procurement, facilitate defence investments and support the defence industry.
The Commission proposed the defence omnibus a year ago, as part of the EU's simplification agenda to boost Europe's competitiveness. These measures directly address industry calls for faster, more flexible, and less burdensome defence industrial policies, strengthening Europe's security and industrial resilience.
Today's agreement will facilitate the transfer of defence products within the EU. New EU-wide licences and broader exemptions from prior authorisation will make it simpler to transfer defence products across borders and help reduce delays.
The agreement also intends to streamline defence procurement procedures for contracting authorities and industry. This will reduce administrative burden and help accelerate defence procurement.
The provisional deal introduces faster permitting for defence projects, introducing a 42-working-day deadline for permit decisions and making approval automatic if authorities do not respond in time. This will help critical defence projects move forward more quickly.
Finally, the agreement simplifies access to the European Defence Fund to improve implementation and simplify administrative requirements for applicants, in line with industry feedback. It also reduces legal uncertainty by clarifying how EU chemicals legislation applies to the defence sector.
Next steps
The Regulations will enter into the formal adoption process by the European Parliament and the Council over the coming weeks, to ensure their rapid entry into force.
Background
In June 2025, the Commission proposed the Defence Readiness Omnibus, a landmark package aligned with the White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030 . Designed to foster a defence-readiness mindset across the EU, the package strengthens defence investments, enabling Member States and industry to respond rapidly and effectively to escalating security threats. The package includes three key legislative files:
- A proposal for Regulation to accelerate permit-granting for defence-readiness projects.
- An amending Regulation covering the European Defence Fund (EDF) and REACH chemical regulations, ensuring greater alignment with defence needs.
- An amending Directive to streamline intra-EU transfers of defence products and defence procurement procedures.
