In Strasbourg, during the ongoing plenary session of the European Parliament, a debate took place on the European Defense Investment Program (EDIP). During the discussion with Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, PiS MEP Zdzisław Krasnodębski took the floor.
Professor Krasnodębski expressed his concern regarding the progress of work on the European Defense Investment Program. “Why, given that nearly all political groups in Parliament are in agreement and the Commissioner has been saying for many months that the EDIP will be announced, are we discussing a ‘phantom fund’ today?” the MEP asked. He noted that the publication date for the program had been postponed, and that its details and the current stage of preparatory work remain unknown.
The PiS MEP recalled that, together with other MEPs, he had worked on the instrument to strengthen the European defense industry through joint procurement (EDIRPA) and the Act on Supporting Ammunition Production (ASAP), but stated that these were programs designed to “plug holes” in the financing of member states’ defense spending, rather than providing long-term support.
Professor Krasnodębski expressed concern about whether the prolonged wait for a long-term European response to the insufficient defense funding by most countries, with the Parliament’s term nearing its end, would allow for normal and serious legislative work on the EDIP. “We are now learning that the Commission will propose only a pilot version, and such pilot projects usually end with their operating rules being carried over and incorporated into the final programs,” the politician commented. The MEP asked Commissioner Breton about the reasons for this delay and the transformation of the EDIP program into a broader European strategy for the defense industry.
