Programme in a nutshell
Concrete examples of achievements
Edirpa was adopted by the co-legislators on 18 October 2023 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 26 October 2023. Edirpa is implemented through a multiannual work programme pursuant to Article 110 of the Financial regulation, which was adopted by the Commission and published on 15 March 2024.
Rationale and design of the programme
The European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) was adopted by the co-legislators on 18 October 2023 and published in the Official Journal on 26 October 2023. The financial envelope for the implementation of the Instrument for the period from 27 October 2023 to 31 December 2025 is EUR 300 million in current prices to which a contribution from Norway is also added (around EUR 10 million). EDIRPA is implemented through a multiannual work programme pursuant to Article 110 of the Financial Regulation.
The Instrument, responding to the European Council's request, aims to address the most urgent and critical needs for defence products, resulting from Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The Instrument will incentivise Member States, in a spirit of solidarity, to commonly procure defence products and will facilitate access for Member States to urgently needed defence products. It will avoid competition among Member States for the same products and facilitate cost savings. It will strengthen interoperability and allow the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) to better adjust and ramp-up its manufacturing capacities to deliver the needed products. The Instrument will support actions from consortia composed of at least three Member States. Eligible actions can involve new defence procurement projects or the extension of those launched since the start of the war.
Faced with new security challenges, Member States have announced their intention to spend more on defence. However, without more coordination and cooperation, these increased investments entail significant risks such as deepening the fragmentation of the European defence sector along national borders; limiting the potential for cooperation throughout the life cycle of the equipment; intensifying external dependencies; hampering interoperability and ability to act of Member States armed forces.
Choices made concerning short-term acquisitions will have a longer-term impact on the EU Defence Technological and Industrial Base market prospects for the next decades. Therefore, it is necessary for the Commission to support, in a timely and targeted manner, Member States willing to jointly reinforce their defence capacities.
In particular, the Instrument will:
- Foster Member States cooperation in defence procurement. This contributes to solidarity, interoperability and efficiency of public spending; prevents crowding-out (impossibility for Member States to satisfy their demand of defence products because of a demand peak); and avoids fragmentation.
- Boost the competitiveness and efficiency of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base, in particular by speeding up the adjustment of industry to structural changes, including ramp-up of its manufacturing capacities, resulting from the new security environment following Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
EDIRPA was signed by the co-legislators on 18 October 2023 and published in the Official Journal on 26 October 2023. EDIRPA shall be implemented through a multiannual work programme pursuant to Article 110 of the Financial Regulation. The work programme has been published on the 15 March 2024.
Based on Article 8 of the EDIRPA Regulation(1), only actions fulfilling all of the following criteria shall be eligible for Union funding under the Instrument:
- they involve cooperation between the eligible entities referred to in Article 10 for common procurement addressing the most urgent and critical defence products needs and implementing the objectives set out in Article 3;
- they involve new cooperation, including within an existing framework, or an extension of existing cooperation to at least one new Member State or associated country;
- they are carried out by a consortium of at least three Member States;
- they fulfil the additional conditions set out in Article 9.
Certain actions, further specified in Article 8 (2), are excluded from funding.
The Instrument shall be implemented under direct management in accordance with the Financial Regulation. Grants implemented under direct management shall be awarded and managed in accordance with Title VIII of the Financial Regulation.
EDIRPA is a new programme agreed by the co-legislators during the current MFF and in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. It does not build on previous MFF programmes as support for common procurement of defence products is a new area for the EU.
The following links are relevant for:
- The Edirpa Regulation: Regulation (EU) 2023/2418
- The Edirpa Work Programme: The Edirpa Implementing Decision and Work Programme
- The Edirpa Website (Factsheet, Q&A): The Edirpa website
By 31 December 2026, the Commission shall draw up a report evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the actions taken under the Instrument (the ‘evaluation report’) and shall submit it to the European Parliament and to the Council.
Budget implementation and performance
Budget programming
Budget programming (million EUR):
[notranslate]EDIRPAWeb:budg_02:table[/notranslate]
Financial programming:
- EUR 210.0 million (- 42%)
compared to the legal basis *
(*) Top-ups pursuant to Article 5 of the multiannual framework regulation are excluded from financial programming in this comparison.
Budget performance – implementation
Cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2023 (million EUR):
[notranslate]EDIRPAWeb:budg_03:table[/notranslate]
Voted budget implementation (million EUR):
[notranslate]EDIRPAWeb:budg_04:table[/notranslate]
Contribution to horizontal priorities
Green budgeting
Contribution to green budgeting priorities (million EUR):
[notranslate]EDIRPAWeb:budg_05:table[/notranslate]
The overall budget for EDIRPA implementation was not intended to target climate and biodiversity mainstreaming and clean air directly.
Gender
Contribution to gender equality (million EUR) (*):
[notranslate]EDIRPAWeb:budg_06:table[/notranslate]
On equality, diversity and inclusion, EDIRPA is not directly targeted at gender equality initiatives. Nevertheless, indirect contributions supporting the gradual raising of awareness about this horizontal Commission priority are continually being made as opportunities arise. For instance, gender equality aspects will receive special mentions in communication activities and at events on various matters relating to EDIRPA.
Digital
Contribution to digital transition (million EUR):
[notranslate]EDIRPAWeb:budg_07:table[/notranslate]
EDIRPA is not directly targeted at digital transitions but takes the digital transition into account in light of new technological developments in EU's Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). For example the award criteria list actions related to the competitiveness and adaptation of the EDTIB to structural changes, including technological changes.
Budget performance – outcomes
[notranslate]EDIRPAWeb:budg_09:table[/notranslate]
Link to file with complete set of EU core performance indicators
The EDIRPA Regulation(2) was published in the Official Journal on 26 October 2023 and entered into force on 27 October 2023. The work programme was adopted by the Commission and published on 15 March 2024.
(2) Regulation (EU) 2023/2418 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023 on establishing an instrument for the reinforcement of the European defence industry through common procurement (EDIRPA), OJ L, 2023/2418, 26.10.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2418/oj.