The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group welcome the adoption of the Defence Mini-Omnibus in plenary today as a decisive step that puts Europe’s existing EU programmes to work for security, defence readiness and dual-use capabilities under the current Multiannual Financial Framework.

As Parliament’s rapporteur for the file, ECR MEP Rihards Kols underlined that the Regulation reflects a fundamentally changed security reality and prioritises delivery over symbolism. He said:

“Europe is operating in a security environment that is anything but normal. This regulation responds to that reality by making our existing instruments work properly for defence and dual-use priorities. It is not a budgetary exercise. It is about aligning tools with real capability needs.”

A central achievement of the agreement is the association of Ukraine with the European Defence Fund. According to Mr Kols, this was a core priority for Parliament throughout the negotiations. Referring to this point, he said:

“Bringing Ukraine into the European Defence Fund is both a strategic and operational decision. It recognises Ukraine’s defence-industrial capacity and integrates it into Europe’s defence ecosystem at a critical moment.”

Instead of creating new funding streams, the Regulation strengthens coordination across five existing programmes, including the European Defence Fund, Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme, the Connecting Europe Facility and STEP. By removing regulatory obstacles and improving coherence, it enables faster and more effective support for defence-relevant projects while remaining budget-neutral.

Summing up the significance of the vote, Mr Kols stressed that the Regulation marks a broader shift in EU policy, by saying:

“Defence is no longer a taboo when it comes to European funding. This legislation shows that the Union can act in a targeted, coherent and responsible way, without increasing the EU budget. It is operational, not symbolic, and it proves that acta non verba still applies.”

The text was adopted with 519 in favour 119 against and 25 abstentions.