What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

Changed:A. whereas according to the European Defence Agency (EDA), after a decline in 2014, Member States’ defence expenditure reached EUR 343 billion in 2024, corresponding to 1.91,9 % of GDP and representing a 19 % increase compared to 2023; whereas according to the EDA, Member States’ defence expenditure may exceed the 2 % NATO guideline in 2025;

Changed:C. whereas the Niinistö report emphasises that increasing the available funding for defence cooperation is vital to overcome endemic fragmentation and decades of underinvestment; whereas the Commission identified a defence capability investment gap of EUR 800 billion for Member States to be closed by 2030 under the ReArm Europe plan, involving an annual increase of 10 % in spending, to reach around EUR 575 billion in 2030, or 3.153,15 % of combined GDP; whereas this is aligned with the Draghi report on the future of European competitiveness;

Changed:D. whereas in its proposal for the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2028-2034, the Commission is allocating EUR 115.7115,7 billion (in 2025 prices) to defence and space under the European Competitiveness Fund, five times more than in the previous MFF period, as well as EUR 15.715,7 billion (in 2025 prices) for military mobility under the Connecting Europe Facility, a tenfold increase compared to the previous period, aiming at supporting the development of transport infrastructure that can be used for both civilian and military purposes;

Changed:F. whereas according to the EDA, 31 % of Member States’ defence expenditure in 2024 was devoted to investment, of which 88.288,2 % was for the acquisition of new equipment and 11.811,8 % for research and development (R&D); whereas expenditure on defence equipment procurement reached EUR 88 billion in 2024, growing by 39 % compared to 2023; whereas under the ReArm Europe plan, this increase is expected to generate at least EUR 240 billion in additional investment by 2030; whereas expenditure on defence R&D in the Member States also rose by 20 % in 2024, reaching EUR 13 billion;

Changed:H. whereas according to the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe, the EDTIB, which in 2023 accounted for around 580 000 direct jobs, 1.41,4 million indirect jobs and a turnover of EUR 160 billion (one third of which came from exports), faces a triple challenge: recruitment, procurement and financing;

Changed:23. Acknowledges the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1775 of 328 NovemberAugust 2025 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1818 as regards the definition of prohibited weapons, which replaces the concept of ‘controversial weapons’ with that of ‘prohibited weapons’ and was adopted as part of the defence readiness omnibus; highlights the fact that this definition is limited to those weapons expressly prohibited under binding international conventions; welcomes the legal clarifications included in the defence readiness omnibus and acknowledges their importance in achieving the EU’s goals in defence financing; calls on private financial actors to restrict their exclusions to this consolidated list and to publish their investment policies; proposes that the inclusion in EU financing of actors whose investment policies go beyond this exclusion be reviewed on a case-by-case basis;