Four Cypriot MEPs back EU’s €115 million Agile defence technology programme

Nicosia, Cyprus. Four of Cyprus’s six members of the European Parliament voted on Tuesday in favour of creating the EU’s Agile programme. The programme will allocate €115 million to small and medium-sized companies across the bloc to develop “emerging and disruptive defence technologies”.

How Cypriot MEPs voted

Disy’s Loucas Fourlas and Michalis Hadjipantela, Elam’s Geadis Geadi and Diko’s Costas Mavrides supported the plan. Akel’s Giorgos Georgiou voted against it, while Direct Democracy Cyprus leader Fidias Panayiotou did not vote.

Overall, 536 MEPs voted in favour and 101 voted against.

Fast-track funding and testing

Following the vote, the European Parliament said Agile was designed to stimulate innovation through fast-track grants and access to testing and certification. Member states will be able to help set challenges to ensure that products developed under the programme meet their capability needs.

The parliament said the funding would help bridge the gap between the development and deployment of new defence technologies. A four-month time-to-grant process would make Agile a “nimble complement to the EU’s existing defence toolbox”.

The €115 million will come from reallocations of existing funding under the multiannual financial framework, the EU budget covering the period from 2021 to next year.

The European Commission said the programme aims to “fast-track innovative defence technologies and products” and “connect the tech and defence sectors”.

Companies based in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine will be eligible for grants of between €1 million and €5 million. The commission said this would give companies outside the 31 eligible countries incentives to relocate.

Defence minister’s support

Cypriot Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas previously said the programme should support businesses capable of delivering “smart, affordable, and adaptable solutions for our armed forces”.

“Agile will make this possible and strengthen Europe’s defence readiness,” he said.

Referring to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Palmas said Russia’s war against Ukraine and conflicts in the EU’s southern neighbourhood had demonstrated that rapid technological innovation could be decisive on the battlefield.