Ammunition for air defence waiting to be processed at Rheinmetall © European Union, 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0
The Council of the European Union granted final approval to a new legislative package that aims to accelerate Defence projects and simplify procurement across the EU on 9 October 2026.
The package which is termed Defence Readiness Omnibus V is intended to reduce the paperwork, shorten approval times and ensure companies can easily supply defence-related products to the EU member countries.
What changes?
Faster permits: The new rules set a standard period of 42 working days for permit procedures for defence-readiness projects (extendable up to a maximum of 102 working days in exceptional cases). If an authority fails to decide within the deadline, a request may be deemed approved, subject to applicable exceptions, including those relating to serious risks to human health or national security.
Simpler procurement: Governments will have more flexibility with certain defence purchases. The changes also make joint procurement between countries easier.
Transfers between EU countries: Some of the administrative requirements for moving defence-related products between member states will be simplified.
The package also introduces new general transfer licences.
Changes to defence funding: Parts of the European Defence Fund will be simplified, and funding-rate bonuses for projects involving small and medium-sized enterprises will increase.
In addition, the new legislation governs the application of certain environmental and chemicals regulations to the readiness for defence actions. The existing protection of health and environment is still available.
What will happen next?
These amendments form part of the larger strategy employed by the EU to enhance defence readiness and collaboration among members.
The level of acceleration that these changes will provide will depend on their implementation.
After being approved by the Council, the legislation needs to be officially published in the European Union Official Journal, and then it will come into force under the regulations specified in the laws.
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