Recital (5)

The Joint White Paper of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Commission of 19 March 2025 on European Defence – Readiness 2030 paves the way for a true European defence union, including by suggesting to Member States to heavily invest in defence and cybersecurity, including dual-use capabilities and civil preparedness, which should be carried out together with social spending, creating employment and up-skilling and re-skilling opportunities. In that regard, the Commission communication of 5 March 2025 entitled The Union of Skills (the Union of Skills Communication) sets out actions to address skills gaps and skills shortages in the Union, including through the strengthened and streamlined Pact for Skills, referred to in that communication, as well as its large-scale partnerships in particular the Large Scale Partnership for Aerospace and Defence. In that context, it is appropriate to incorporate incentives into the ESF+ with a view to facilitating the development of skills in the defence industry. In order to provide more flexibility for Member States to reallocate resources to the development of skills in the defence industry, the amounts allocated to such development should not be subject to thematic concentration requirements, but should be taken into account when contributing to such requirements.