In an exclusive interview with European Defence Matters, Airbus Defence & Space CEO Dirk Hoke shares his views and analysis on the prospects and challenges of future European collaborative defence projects. He also touches upon cyber defence, the potential of the proposed European Defence Fund, possible Brexit implications on defence as well as the European Defence Agency’s role in facilitating defence cooperation and strengthening Europe’s defence technological and industrial base.

When the European Coal and Steel Community was created in 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schumann declared that “Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.” This pursuit of solidarity is the leitmotif that runs through the evolution of the Union as we know it today, which over time has formed one of its fundamental pillars. Today, nowhere is this solidarity more relevant than in the area of defence and security, where Europe faces renewed challenges such as instability on its borders, terrorism and hybrid threats.

For Estonia’s first EU Presidency, the country’s Ministry of Defence teamed up with the European Defence Agency (EDA) to host EU CYBRID 2017, the first ever European strategic cybersecurity table-top exercise.

In the light of current threat assessments and the evolving strategic situation in Europe and its wider neighbourhood, Main Battle Tank (MBT) capabilities have regained  importance. While some EU Member States exhibit conspicuous and disconcerting MBT gaps, others possess large and costly overcapacities. The European Defence Agency’s (EDA) initiative to optimise existing MBT capabilities by pooling and sharing available assets offers  benefits to all. 

8 June 2017 marked a significant day in the history of the European Defence Agency (EDA) with the opening of the European Tactical Airlift Centre (ETAC) in Zaragoza, Spain. The Head of the Agency, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and the EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq were welcomed by Dolores de Cospedal, Minister of Defence of Spain for the opening ceremony of Europe’s first dedicated centre for tactical airlift.