Four new Project Arrangements (PA) were signed by participating EDA Member States in the margins of the EDA Steering Board meeting in Capability Directors formation which took place on 23 March at the Agency under the chairmanship of Lieutenant General Erhard Bühler. EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq welcomed the news signings as they show that progress is being made on important and concrete capability projects within the EDA.
The four Project Arrangements are related to the following projects :
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- Multimodal Transport Hub.This project involving 14 contributing Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Slovenia) aims to simplify the procedures for the crossing of borders and national territories with military personnel and equipment. Other objectives are to apply harmonized Customs procedures, to ensure a more cost-effective use and pooling of European transport assets, to allow for the best use of existing air/sea/inland infrastructure and increased civil military transport synergies, and to develop cost saving options for combining a range of logistic facilities and systems. The overarching aim of the project is to develop a European Multimodal Transport Hub Network ready to be used by CSDP missions and for other Member States’ purposes (day to day business and exercises) through harmonised regulations, procedures and processes as well as pooling and sharing of movement and transport assets and infrastructure in Europe. Once set up, this European network will considerably facilitate the deployment of troops and assets for joint CSDP operations as well as the overall military movement and transport.This project involving 14 contributing Member States.
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- ECMAN (European Centre for Manual Neutralisation Capabilities). The aim of this project is to provide participating Member States (Austria, as a lead nation, as well as Germany, the Czech Republic, Finland and Italy) with expertise and experience in the field of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) threats. The project will provide opportunities to enhance education and training, improve interoperability and capabilities, assist in doctrine, TTPs and equipment development & testing and validate concepts through experimentation. Close involvement during the entire cycle of a Manual Neutralisation (MN) activity will provide participating Member States with highly skilled MN personnel. ECMAN is a follow-on activity of the EDA Category B programme Manual Neutralisation Techniques Courses and Exercises (MNT C&E).
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- PRCPC (Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Course). This project was established in 2013 as a Cat B project under the lead of Sweden. The course was initiated by six contributing Member States: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The Course was extended a first time until 2015 and then until 2017. Cyprus joined in 2017. The main focus of the Course, which will now run until 2019, is to train staff officers in supporting their commanders in Personnel Recovery related tasks. The EU will thereby benefit from the increased number of trained personnel available to support future CSDP operations and missions
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- M3U (Multinational Modular Medical Unit). This project will standardize national medical capabilities to achieve a high level of multinational interoperability so that different medical modules can be integrated within a framework structure offered by a Frame Nation. The final outcome will be a deployable & sustainable Multinational Modular Medical Unit. Nine EDA Member States have signed the PA today (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Romania, The Netherlands, Cyprus, Italy, Finland) but more are expected to join soon.