A EU War Chest: the success and uncertain future of the European Peace Facility
A EU War Chest: the success and uncertain future of the European Peace Facility

Author(s): Łukasz Maślanka
Subject(s): Economic policy, Security and defense, Military policy, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: OSW Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich im. Marka Karpia
Keywords: EU; European Peace Facility; Russian aggression; Ukraine; EU’s Defence Technological and Industrial Base;
Summary/Abstract: On 26 June the Council of the EU raised the ceiling for the financing of the European Peace Facility (EPF) for the second time this year, this time by €3.5 billion. It will now total €10.5 billion at 2018 prices or around €12 billion at current prices (adjusted for inflation). The EPF is designed as an off-budget mechanism for financing the common costs of the EU’s offshore military operations and missions as well as assistance to its partners. Since 24 February 2022, it has served predominantly as an instrument for providing indirect military support to Ukraine. This continuing repurposing of the EPF is beginning to raise concern among those member states which are focused on the EU’s southern neighborhood and which used to be the main supporters of the Facility. There is, moreover, a risk that some EU countries will treat support for further increases in EPF funding as a bargaining chip on issues that are important to them, or make it conditional on a stronger link between the EPF and initiatives to strengthen the EU’s Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB).

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