Controversial EU defence funding falls 23% in second year

European Defence Fund allocates €924 million for research on space and naval combat

The EU’s controversial European Defence Fund will spend hundreds of millions less on R&D this year, despite efforts in the bloc to ramp up defence activities due to Russian aggression.

R&D spending under the EDF will drop by 23 per cent in 2022 compared with 2021, with €924 million available for collaborative work projects versus €1.2 billion last year, according to the European Commission.