On 25 March, SEDE Members will exchange views with Chris Peeters, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, on the EIB's Strategic European Security Initiative, aimed at supporting, via financing of up to 6 billion, dual-use projects seeking to develop security and defence systems in Europe in areas such as cybersecurity, emerging and disruptive technologies, space technologies or artificial intelligence. At the same time, the eligibility criteria for financing have not been modified, excluding investments in the armament sector and all purely military investments. In the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the debate will focus on possibilities for the EIB to support access to financing for the European defence industry, drawing on priorities included in the Strategic Compass.