European Parliament and Council negotiators have reached a deal on a package of EU measures aimed at speeding up defence investment and improving the bloc’s ability to respond to security threats.
The proposals, part of the “Omnibus V” simplification agenda, are designed to streamline permitting, procurement, and cross-border transfers of defence equipment, while strengthening the European Defence Fund and easing regulatory barriers across the sector.
At the centre of the agreement is a new accelerated permitting system for defence projects such as factories and infrastructure expansions. Authorities will now have a default deadline of 42 working days to decide on applications, extendable twice in exceptional cases, but capped at 102 working days overall. If deadlines are missed, a tacit approval mechanism will apply in certain conditions.
Member states will also be required to establish single points of contact for defence projects, with digital tracking systems and annual reporting to the European Commission to improve transparency and efficiency.
The deal introduces a general transfer licence to simplify the movement of defence products within the EU, alongside updated procurement rules, higher thresholds, and longer framework agreements of up to ten years.
EU institutions say the reforms are aimed at unlocking up to €800 billion in defence investment by 2030 under the Readiness 2030 strategy, strengthening Europe’s industrial base and reducing bottlenecks in the defence supply chain.
