On 30 November 2016, the European Commission proposed the “European Defence Action Plan”.

The document contains a plan to increase defence spending and defence cooperation amongst European member states and proposes the creation of a European Defence Fund. The fund is to be managed by a coordination board composed of member states, the High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy of the European Union, the European Defence Agency, the European Commission as well as representatives of the industry. The main task of the coordination board will be to identify priorities in the areas of defence research and capabilities to meet common European needs.

The proposal will now be discussed with all stakeholders, and is also part of the agenda of the European Council on 15 and 16 December 2016.

The press release of the European Commission is available online.