SUSTAINING EU AMBITIONS IN DEFENCE
The brutality of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine continues. Yet while it is exhausting and horrific, the war is also the European Union’s opportunity to show its staying power and solidarity with Ukraine.
The European Defence Agency (EDA) is part of this resolve, delivering on complex joint procurement to allow Member States to purchase 155mm ammunition. As this edition of European Defence Matters sets out, the EDA is also part of a significant defence reset.
EDA’s Head of Agency, High Representative Josep Borrell, underscores how there has been no let-up in developing Europe’s credible defence. Military aid to Ukraine, already the recipient of hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles, will continue to flow, and EU support will continue regardless of other crises.
Through the Agency’s role in capability development, the EU now has 22 priorities. They range from the protection of undersea networks to integrated air defence. EDA’s Capability, Armament & Planning Director Stefano Cont explains.
Still, the EU is only now starting to address the challenge of having an industrial base capable of ramping up when needed at pace and scale. As independent specialist Tim Lawrenson outlines, the managed decline of Europe’s defence industry will take time to turn around.
The focus is not just on Ukraine. In this edition, Belgium’s Minister of Defence and the Director General of the European Union Military Staff both discuss the EU’s new Rapid Deployment Capacity. We also celebrate the success of EDA’s long-running helicopter programmes and their transfer to Portugal.
Enjoy the read!