The ECR Group welcomes today’s adoption of the European Parliament’s position on the Programme for Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation (AGILE) in the Industry and Security and Defence Committees.

AGILE is designed to accelerate the development, testing and deployment of cutting-edge defence technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and unmanned systems. For the ECR Group, the vote is an important step towards a faster, more operational and more industry-driven European defence innovation ecosystem, while the final outcome will now have to be negotiated with the Council in trilogues.

Elena Donazzan MEP, ECR Shadow Rapporteur in the Industry Committee, said:

“The European Union cannot afford to let defence innovation remain trapped in slow procedures and disconnected research programmes.

“AGILE can help bring innovators, industry and armed forces closer together, so that promising technologies are tested, scaled and deployed much faster. This is particularly important for SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups, which often have the ideas and technical expertise but not yet the access to Europe’s defence industrial supply chains.”

Michał Dworczyk MEP, ECR Shadow Rapporteur in the Security and Defence Committee, said:

“The war in Ukraine has shown that the speed of innovation is becoming as important as innovation itself. Europe needs mechanisms that allow promising technologies to move much faster from development to operational use. AGILE is a step in that direction. It should strengthen Europe’s defence industrial base while ensuring that innovative companies from across the Union, not only the largest players, have a genuine opportunity to contribute.”

For the ECR Group, AGILE is a targeted and necessary instrument to help innovative SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups bring practical defence solutions from development to operational use more quickly. Parliament’s position preserves faster award procedures, with funding decisions expected within four months, and a strong focus on moving innovative technologies towards operational deployment within one to three years.

The text reflects several ECR priorities, including better access for innovative companies to industrial infrastructure, technology transfer, partnerships with prime contractors and system integrators, and stronger links between industry, research organisations and operational testing environments. It also promotes broader geographical participation and cross-border participation, including from Member States with less developed defence innovation ecosystems, and recognises the importance of complementarity with NATO initiatives such as DIANA and the NATO Innovation Fund.

The text was adopted with 76 votes in favour, eight against and seven abstentions. A strong mandate to enter into interinstitutional negotiations was also approved, with 83 votes in favour and eight against.