SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
EU presses to cut defence red tape in rush to rearm
Brussels, Belgium, June 17 (AFP) Jun 17, 2025
The European Union on Tuesday unveiled a raft of proposals to slash red tape in the defence sector as the bloc pushes to rearm in the face of Russia.

Europe is looking to ramp up its production of weaponry, spurred on by Moscow's war on Ukraine and fears over the reliability of the United States under President Donald Trump.

"The only way to ensure European peace is to make sure we are ready to defend ourselves credibly and quickly," EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.

"With this package, we are putting forward ambitious proposals to cut red tape."

As part of the drive, Brussels says it wants to reduce the time needed for permits from the years it can take now to just 60 days.

A senior EU official gave as an example an ammunition testing facility that needs to comply with a myriad of environmental and health and safety rules.

"It can take up to three years or four years," the official said.

Under the proposed law, authorities in the EU's member states "will have 60 days to react" and if they do not respond in time it will be assumed permission is granted, the official said.

The bloc is also seeking to ease access to EU funding for companies and to clarify investment rules that have often scared asset managers off from putting money into the defence industry.

The proposals to cut bureaucracy are the latest volley in the EU's efforts to boost its ability to rearm since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this year the bloc pushed through plans that could generate a further 800 billion euros ($924 billion) in spending on defence.

The drive comes as NATO leaders, under pressure from Trump, are expected to commit to massively step up military budgets at a summit in The Hague next week.

NATO warns that Russia could look to attack the alliance within five years and that Moscow's weapon production is far outstripping the West's.

The defence plan is part of a broader drive by Brussels to simplify regulations across the economy in a bid to make Europe more competitive.

The proposals from the European Commission will now be picked over by the EU's member states and lawmakers before they can become law.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
PLD Space selected as leading contender for ESA sovereign launch initiative
UK thermal satellite firm wins ESA contract to deliver real time climate and security insights
UK opens competitive bid for GBP 75 million orbital cleanup mission

24/7 Energy News Coverage
China speeds up renewables building spree: report
French giant EDF will take 12.5 pecent stake in new UK nuclear plant
Major US teachers union teams up with AI giants

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
BlackSky expands Gen-3 access to bolster Ukraine-focused intelligence operations
Maxar secures $205 million in multi-year deals to boost space capabilities across MEA
K2 Space validates satellite systems in orbit and fires record-breaking thruster

24/7 News Coverage
The long slow death of Norway's wild salmon
Beijing decries 'discriminatory' ban on Chinese purchases of US farmland
China's 'new farmers' learn to livestream in rural revitalisation



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.