Pakistan, Sept. 28 -- Twelve European Union countries have challenged France's push for strict European preference rules. The dispute concerns future EU defence funding and relations with non-EU military allies.

Germany, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and Slovenia signed a joint non-paper. They called for continued access for military partners outside the EU. The countries said such cooperation could strengthen defence readiness, equipment compatibility and supply chains.

The disagreement focuses on the proposed European Competitiveness Fund, a major part of the EU's next budget. The European Commission has proposed more than €409 billion for the fund. The wider budget...