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Law & strategy
European defence funding is not improvised: each instrument is created by a Regulation adopted by the EU co-legislators, on top of the Treaties (which reserve hard defence to the member states under Article 346 TFEU) and the post-2022 readiness agenda. The law fixes the budget, the eligibility rules and how the money is delivered.
What it funds
Nothing directly — it is the legal basis under which the instruments below operate.
Who is eligible
Set by each regulation (see each instrument).
How to access
Read the regulation behind any instrument before you apply — it is the binding source for amounts, eligibility and deadlines.
The law
European Defence Fund — Regulation (EU) 2021/697 →SAFE — Regulation (EU) 2025/1106 →EDIRPA — Regulation (EU) 2023/2418 →ASAP — Regulation (EU) 2023/1525 →STEP — Regulation (EU) 2024/795 →Horizon Europe — Regulation (EU) 2021/695 →
DFM analysis
EDIP–SAFE–STEP as a Single Eligibility Architecture →EU Security and Defence Partnerships: Legal, Industrial and Financial Architecture →
Live data
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