Less than three weeks before the Agency’s Annual Conference “European Defence Matters”, high-level speakers have confirmed their attendance at the two prestigious roundtables on defence capabilities and the state of research & innovation in the European defence sector.
Speakers at the first roundtable will discuss ways for Europe to provide for future defence capabilities. The Agency is delighted to welcome Ine Eriksen Søreide, Norwegian Minister of Defence, Norway, General Patrick de Rousiers, Chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Sverker Göranson, Swedish Chief of Defence, Tim Rowntree, Director of OCCAR and Alexander Vershbow, NATO Deputy Secretary General to the discussion.
Investment in research is an investment in the future. The decline in defence budgets however often does not leave much room for maneuver. In the second high-level roundtable, policy and industry leaders will be discussing the state of the European defence industry and prospects for the future.
Confirmed speakers are: Michael Gahler, Member of the European Parliament, Committee on Foreign Affairs & Subcommittee on Security and Defence; Hakan Buskhe, President and Chief Executive Officer of SAAB; Bernhard Gerwert, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defence & Space; Holger Becker, Chief Executive Officer of Microfluidic ChipShop and Jenny Body, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Background
On 27 March 2014, around 400 European defence stakeholders are expected to attend the EDA Annual Conference. Major figures in defence cooperation as well as leaders from the military, politics and industry will engage in highly interactive panel debates and keynote speeches with plenty of opportunities for the audience to contribute to the discussion.
The conference will be opened by Claude-France Arnould, Chief Executive of EDA followed by keynote speeches by Catherine Ashton, Head of the Agency, and Dimitris Avramopoulos, Greek Minister of Defence.
This year’s main panels are entitled: “European Defence Capabilities: Pool it or Lose it?” and “Securing the future: Research & innovation at the point of no return?” A free debate on the role of EDA in the fabric of European defence cooperation including Pieter de Crem, Belgian Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, as well as focus sessions on EDA’s cooperative projects and programmes complement the agenda.
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Access to the conference is upon invitation only. If you want to stay up-to-date with the discussions, follow us on twitter (@EUDefenceAgency) #defencematters.
For more information about the EDA’s 2014 Annual Conference, visit the dedicated webpage.
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