“ The draft EU legislative act, which in particular provides for the inclusion of Ukraine in the European Defense Fund, will be put to the vote of the European Parliament by the end of 2025. Source: European Truth correspondent, head of the European Parliament Committee on Security and Defense Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (Germany), during the committee’s meeting in Brussels on November 6. Details: Ukraine can join the European Defense Fund as early as the end of 2025. “Our committee is working quickly, and I am pleased that we plan to vote on the EU Defense Omnibus Package by the end of this year to be ready for the next phase of the EU’s defense agenda,” Strack-Zimmermann said. European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andryus Kubilius, who took part in the committee meeting, recalled that on the evening of October 5, a defense mini-package (mini-Omnibus Defense) was pre-agreed on, which “will give Ukraine the opportunity to become an associate member of the European Defense Fund.” As European Parliament’s press service informed “European Truth”, the draft EU legislative act, proposed by the European Commission in April 2025 and informally agreed on Wednesday evening by the members of the European Parliament and the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, provides for an increase in the financing of defense-related investments by making changes to the current EU programs: Strategic Technology Platforms for Europe (STEP), “Horizon Europe”, of the European Defense Fund (EDF), the “Digital Europe” program (DEP) and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), with the aim of directing EU funds to defense needs within the framework of the ReArm Europe plan. “The MPs insisted that the legislation should allow for wider support for the defense industry of Ukraine and guarantee its participation in the European Defense Fund,” the European Parliament emphasized. As European Truth was told in the Danish EU presidency, Ukraine’s accession to the European Defense Fund will create “new opportunities for Ukrainian entities to join joint research and development projects in the field of defense within the EU in the future.” The budget of the EDF for the period 2021-2027 is approximately €7.3 billion, of which €2.7 billion is allocated to joint defense research and €5.3 billion to joint defense capability development projects that complement national contributions. The legislative act, which includes Ukraine’s accession to the EOF, will be agreed at the level of the European Parliament committees in the coming weeks, and will be put to a vote in the session hall by the end of the year. After that, it must be approved by the EU Council. It will be recalled that on October 16, the European Commission presented a defense “road map” – a comprehensive plan for strengthening European defense capabilities, which, among other things, provides for combating drones and other threats from the air, sea and space. At the same time, Ukraine was identified as a key component of the EU’s defense readiness.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: Correspondent of “European Truth”, Head of the Committee of the European Parliament on Security and Defense Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (Germany), during the meeting of the committee in Brussels on November 6
Details: Ukraine can join the European Defense Fund by the end of 2025.
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“Our committee is working quickly, and I am pleased that we plan to vote on the EU Defense Omnibus Package by the end of this year to be ready for the next phase of the EU’s defense agenda,” Strack-Zimmermann said.
European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andryus Kubilius, who took part in the committee meeting, recalled that on the evening of October 5, a defense mini-package (mini-Omnibus Defense) was pre-agreed on, which “will give Ukraine the opportunity to become an associate member of the European Defense Fund.”
As European Parliament’s press service informed “European Truth”, the draft EU legislative act, proposed by the European Commission in April 2025 and informally agreed on Wednesday evening by the members of the European Parliament and the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, provides for an increase in the financing of defense-related investments by making changes to the current EU programs: Strategic Technology Platforms for Europe (STEP), “Horizon Europe”, of the European Defense Fund (EDF), the “Digital Europe” program (DEP) and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), with the aim of directing EU funds to defense needs within the framework of the ReArm Europe plan.
“The MPs insisted that the legislation should allow for wider support for the defense industry of Ukraine and guarantee its participation in the European Defense Fund,” the European Parliament emphasized.
As European Truth was told in the Danish EU presidency, Ukraine’s accession to the European Defense Fund will create “new opportunities for Ukrainian entities to join joint research and development projects in the field of defense within the EU in the future.”
The budget of the EDF for the period 2021-2027 is approximately €7.3 billion, of which €2.7 billion is allocated to joint defense research and €5.3 billion to joint defense capability development projects that complement national contributions.
The legislative act, which includes Ukraine’s accession to the EOF, will be agreed at the level of the European Parliament committees in the coming weeks, and will be put to a vote in the session hall by the end of the year.
After that, it must be approved by the EU Council.
We will remind, on October 16, the European Commission presented the defense “road map” – a comprehensive plan to strengthen European defense capabilities, which, among other things, provides for combating drones and other threats from the air, sea and space.
At the same time, Ukraine was identified as a key component defense readiness of the EU.
