European Armaments Co-operation Strategy

Promoting and enhancing European Armaments Co-operation is central to the mission of the European Defence Agency to improve European military capabilities. In October 2008 the European Armaments Co-operation Strategy (EAC) was approved by the Agency’s Steering Board. It provides a clear statement of intent of the participating Member States to promote and enhance more effective European armaments co-operation in support of the European Security Defence Policy (ESDP), now Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

One of the core messages in the Strategy is that Europe must seek to maximise opportunities in armaments co-operation and ensure that the option to co-operate is already considered in defence planning. This should not exclusively be for seeking co-operative development opportunities but also with a view to the potential advantages of co-operation on in-service support or upgrading existing assets as well as for other lines of capability development.

As a prerequisite for effective European armaments co-operation, the strategy focuses on the need for a solid European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) by drawing on attributes of the EDTIB Strategy. Conversely, effective co-operation on armaments programmes fosters the environment in which the EDTIB can be strengthened and can provide competitive products for European industry. Therefore, there is a need to provide greater transparency and mutual understanding between governments and industries to help ensure the EDTIB remains coherent alongside future European capability needs.