Four of six Cypriot MEPs back €115m new defence technology funding

Four of the six Cypriot members of the European Parliament on Tuesday voted in favour of the creation of the European Union’s new Agile programme, through which €115 million will be allocated to small and medium-sized companies across the bloc to develop what is described as “emerging and disruptive defence technologies”. Disy’s Loucas Fourlas and Michalis Hadjipantela, Elam’s Geadis Geadi and Diko’s Costas Mavrides voted for the plan, while Akel’s Giorgos Georgiou voted against it, and Direct Democracy Cyprus leader Fidias Panayiotou did not vote. In total, 536 MEPs voted in favour of the plans, while 101 voted against. Following the vote, the European Parliament said the programme is “designed to stimulate innovation with fast-track grants and access to testing and certification”, and that it “provides a way for member states to be involved in setting challenges to ensure the products developed meet their capability needs”. It added that the funding will “help bridge the gap between development and deployment” of new defence technologies, and “provide a fast-track, four-month time-to-grant”, ensuring that the programme will be a “nimble complement to the EU’s existing defence toolbox”. The funds will be sourced from reallocations of existing money supplied through the multiannual financial framework, the EU’s budget for the period covering the years between 2021 and next year. Previously, Cypriot Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas had said of the programme that “we need to promote businesses that can deliver smart, affordable, and adaptable solutions for our armed forces”. “Agile will make this possible and strengthen Europe’s defence readiness,” he said, while also making reference to the ongoing war in Ukraine, saying that “Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as the conflicts in the EU’s southern neighbourhood, [have] made clear that rapid technological innovation can be decisive on the battlefield”. The European Commission, meanwhile, said the programme aims to “fast-track innovative defence technologies and products” and “connect the tech and defence sectors”. It added that companies based in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine will be eligible for grants ranging between €1 million and €5 million as part of the programme, and that this will offer companies outside the 31 eligible countries “incentives” to relocate.