André Denk, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), visited Luxembourg on 7 October 2026 to meet Minister of Defence Yuriko Backes. Denk and Backes discussed Luxembourg's contribution to EDA activities, circularity in defence and EDA's work in improving EU cooperation, including defence readiness by 2030 and the process of strengthening the Agency.
The visit was part of a series of capital visits that Denk began after taking up his post in 2025. As EDA is run by its Member States, meeting Ministers of Defence in person helps ensure that the Agency’s work remains closely aligned with national needs and identifies how Member States can best use EDA to achieve them.
Reflecting its strong commitment to European defence, Luxembourg increased its defence spending to 2.1% of GDP in 2025, up from 0.8% in 2024, according to EDA’s
defence data. Luxembourg's engagement with EDA focuses heavily on research, space-based capabilities and green defence initiatives. Additionally, Luxembourg supports military mobility corridors to streamline cross-border troop deployment across Europe.
During the visit, Denk also opened the fifth Annual General Conference of Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (
IF CEED), which EDA manages. Denk thanked Luxembourg for its support since 2021 for IF CEED, which helps countries develop joint projects that bring the benefits of circularity to the defence sector.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, he stressed the strategic importance of circularity for Europe's defence readiness. “Circularity in defence is about doing more with the resources we have. By reusing materials, extending the life of military equipment and reducing dependencies on external suppliers, we can make Europe’s armed forces more resilient and better prepared.”
He underlined that, at a time when Europe remains heavily dependent on a limited number of external suppliers for critical raw materials, circularity can help strengthen security of supply, reduce strategic dependencies and contribute to the EU’s Defence Readiness 2030 objectives.
After the opening session, Denk visited Ceratizit, a Luxembourg-based manufacturer of cutting tools for industrial machining. The company recycles tungsten, a very hard metal that withstands extreme heat and is a critical raw material for Europe's defence and aerospace industry.
Approaches like
Ceratizit's, which keep valuable materials in use, are what IF CEED aims to promote. Luxembourg supports this work with about €1.5 million in funding to the forum and takes part in EDA projects that would be difficult to pursue on a national basis alone.