"4 countries get 53.5% of the grants allocated so far: France, Italy, Spain and Germany, which are also the main EU arms exporters. Thales gets 15 grants, and 7 companies of the top 10 were members of the Group of Personalities that advised the European Commission to create this funding, in 2016.
Considering the poor implementation of the EU Common position on arms exports, there is a serious risk that weapon systems developed with EU public money will feed the global arms race and end in areas under conflict or tension.
For more details about which countries and companies profit the most of EU subsidies, which technologies are being developed and the risks they entail, and the lack of proper ethical checks and parliamentary overview, go to our publication in EN and FR:
Who profits from EU funding for military R&D?
À qui profitent les subsides européens pour la R&D militaire?"
Source: Who gets most of EU funding for military research and development? (ENAAT, link)