The legal basis of EU defence funding
The EU regulations that create each funding instrument.
Regulations
About the data
Legal metadata from the EU Publications Office (Cellar); official text on EUR-Lex. In-force status as recorded by the Publications Office.
Horizon Europe Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2021/695 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing Horizon Europe – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1290/2013 and (EU) No 1291/2013 (Text with EEA relevance)
European Defence Fund (EDF) Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2021/697 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2021 establishing the European Defence Fund and repealing Regulation (EU) 2018/1092 (Text with EEA relevance)
ASAP Regulation (ammunition production)
Regulation (EU) 2023/1525 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 July 2023 on supporting ammunition production (ASAP)
EDIRPA Regulation (common procurement)
Regulation (EU) 2023/2418 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023 on establishing an instrument for the reinforcement of the European defence industry through common procurement (EDIRPA)
STEP Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2024/795 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 February 2024 establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), and amending Directive 2003/87/EC and Regulations (EU) 2021/1058, (EU) 2021/1056, (EU) 2021/1057, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) 2021/1060, (EU) 2021/523, (EU) 2021/695, (EU) 2021/697 and (EU) 2021/241
SAFE Regulation
Council Regulation (EU) 2025/1106 of 27 May 2025 establishing the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) through the Reinforcement of the European Defence Industry Instrument (Text with EEA relevance)
European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP)
Adopted December 2025; Official Journal reference pending. No CELEX number is asserted here until the act is published.
National legislation
National budgets and laws hold the largest near-term defence money — and the rules differ by country. This is a growing, curated map of the key national defence-funding and procurement laws, each linked to its official text and to DFM's analysis. It complements the EU instruments; member states also publish above-threshold contracts on TED (see the live awards and tenders).
Curated and expanding. Coverage starts with the largest spenders; more countries are added over time. Every entry links to the official source; classified national spend is not public.
Germany
Europe's largest defence spender has moved from a one-off special fund to open-ended, debt-brake-exempt defence borrowing, plus a law to accelerate procurement.
Bundeswehr Special Fund (BwFinSVermG)
The Bundeswehr Financing and Special Fund Act created the €100bn 'Sondervermögen Bundeswehr', anchored by an Article 87a Basic Law amendment and exempt from the debt brake, to close capability gaps from 2022. In force 1 July 2022.
BwFinSVermG — official text (gesetze-im-internet.de) →
Debt-brake reform — defence exemption (2025)
A March 2025 constitutional amendment exempts defence spending above 1% of GDP from the debt brake and created a €500bn extra-budgetary infrastructure fund — effectively unlocking open-ended defence borrowing.
Basic Law (Grundgesetz) — official text → · Germany’s €108.2 Billion Defence Spending Framework in 2026
Bundeswehr Planning & Procurement Acceleration Act (BwPBBG)
Draft law (presented June 2025) to speed up armament procurement procedures so capabilities can be fielded faster.
Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) → · Bundeswehr Planning and Procurement Acceleration Act (BwPBBG) – Strategic Rationale and Industry Implications · Germany's Defense Procurement Reform: Legal Acceleration for Strategic Rearmament · Germany’s April 2026 Defence-Industrial Pipeline
France
France funds defence through a binding multi-year programming law that fixes the spend envelope and priorities.
Military Programming Law 2024–2030 (LPM)
LOI n° 2023-703 of 1 August 2023 programmes €413.3bn for French defence over 2024–2030 (a ~40% increase on the prior LPM), including €10bn for innovation.
Poland
Poland created a dedicated off-budget fund and a high spending target to drive the fastest rearmament in the EU.
Homeland Defence Act (Ustawa o obronie Ojczyzny)
The Act on the Defence of the Homeland (11 March 2022) raised Poland's defence-spending target toward 3% of GDP and created the Armed Forces Support Fund (Fundusz Wsparcia Sił Zbrojnych) — a major off-budget financing source for modernisation, acquisition and investment.
Italy
Italy programmes defence through a multi-year planning document presented to Parliament, underpinning a sharp recent budget rise.
Multi-Year Defence Planning Document (Documento Programmatico Pluriennale, DPP)
The Ministry of Defence's multi-year plan presented to Parliament, setting programmes and budgets beyond a simple forecast; the 2025–2027 DPP underpinned a ~20% real rise to about $48bn in 2025.
Romania
Romania is a leading user of the EU SAFE loan instrument, channelling EU-backed borrowing into its national defence plan.
National SAFE allocation
Romania's use of the EU SAFE instrument — EU-backed loans channelled into its national defence plan and procurement — reordering regional demand.
SAFE — European Commission → · Romania’s SAFE Allocation and the Reordering of European Defence Demand
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Defence Finance Monitor is an analytical and informational product. Legal metadata is sourced from the EU Publications Office; the authoritative text is on EUR-Lex.