EDA News

Over 130 experts from 27 European countries and more than 20 different institutions and organisations participate in the 4th Conference of the Second Phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS II) in Bucharest. The Conference, which is held under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and hosted by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, marks the successful completion of the Second Phase of the CF SEDSS II initiated in October 2017.

Today’s conference was officially opened by Mr Gabriel-Beniamin Leș, Minister of National Defence of Romania, Mr Dominique Ristori, European Commission Director-General for Energy and Mr Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA).

Mr Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive, emphasised in his speech that the “Bucharest conference marks the successful completion of a project which proved that sustainable energy matters for defence and that greener defence energy matters for the European Union”. The Chief Executive expressed his satisfaction “as the Consultation Forum has enabled directly or indirectly several Ministries of Defence to develop national defence energy strategies, implement Energy Management Systems, launch projects related to energy performance and consider initiating joint collaborative projects to address common energy challenges”. 

European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy (DG ENER) and the Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME) contributed to the work of the Forum by providing an EU long-term perspective on EU energy legislation, policy and action plans. With the support of the European Commission, the defence sector has come closer to the wider energy community and joined the Union’s efforts to transit to an Energy Union. Mr Dominique Ristori, European Commission Director-General for Energy acknowledged in his introductory speech, “the substantial work of the Ministries of Defence to apply sustainable energy in the defence sector and to pursue the implementation of the EU legal framework on energy”. 

The second Phase of the Forum developed a more practical defence-centric approach and focused on a range of activities such as improving energy management and energy efficiency of military building stock and fixed infrastructure, the integration of energy sources in defence infrastructure and the protection of defence-related critical energy infrastructure against hybrid threats.

During Phase II the working groups collected more than 30 project ideas, of which 18 were elaborated to comprehensive project proposals. To support their realisation, the Agency applied an internal methodology called “IdentiFunding for Energy”, which matched these ideas with more than 30 eligible funding opportunities, enhancing the probability of their implementation. As a first step, the Agency is currently supporting Ministries of Defence to prepare three (3) applications for funding.

Mr Domecq announced that “EDA is ready to allocate additional budget to support at least five (5) other applications demonstrating the commitment of the Agency to meet the expectation of the Ministries of Defence in producing tangible results”.
 

Next Conference

The Bucharest Conference marked the finalisation of the Second Phase of the Consultation Forum. Currently, EDA and DG ENER are preparing Phase III. It is expected that the first Conference of Phase III will take place during the first quarter of 2020. In the meantime, EDA and DG ENER are also organising a Joint Defence Energy Conference to be held at the end of 2019 in Brussels in preparation of phase III. More information will be uploaded on the EDA’s dedicated website “European Defence Energy Network (EDEN)”
 

About the CF SEDSS II

The Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) is a European Commission initiative managed by EDA. It aims at bringing together experts from the defence and energy sectors to share information and best practices on improving energy management, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy as well increasing the protection and resilience of defence energy-related critical infrastructures. On 20 October 2017, the second phase of the Consultation Forum (CF SEDSS II) was launched. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, and the agreement is between the EASME executive agency and the EDA. The contract was signed on 16 October 2017 for 22 months, expiring in August 2019. 

Based on the foundations laid during the first phase of the Consultation Forum (2015-2017), the second phase has been further expanded to cover the following interrelated subjects through three main working groups (including sub-working groups): WG 1: Energy Management including Energy Efficiency (Sub-WG1: Energy Management and Sub-WG2: Energy Efficiency; WG 2: Renewable Energy Sources and Technologies; WG 3: Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure and one cross-cutting theme: Finance.
 

More information:

• Full speech of EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq

• Defence Energy Data 2016 & 2017 (EDA factsheet)

• About CF SEDSS II

• Moving towards defence sustainable energy models
• European Funding Gateway for Energy in Defence
• Legislation and Policy

A grant agreement worth of €1.88 million was signed on 25 May 2019 for the Strategic Technology Foresight action called SOLOMON to be carried out under the EU Preparatory Action in the field of defence research. The grant agreement was signed between the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the winning consortium led by Engineering Ingegneria Informatica S.p.A. (The other members of the consortium can be found in the SOLOMON project page)

The Strategic Technology Foresight action called SOLOMON (Strategy-Oriented anaLysis Of the Market fOrces in EU defeNce) was selected following an EU-wide call for proposals organised by EDA closing on 28 June 2018. The action aims to provide an effective way for tackling the issue of critical defence technological dependencies for the EU regarding current and future systems and capabilities. The winning consortium encompasses a total of 18 participants from 10 countries. The project will be complementary to the PYTHIA project, which was selected following the Preparatory Action Call on Strategic Technology Foresight 2017.

The SOLOMON project is part of the Preparatory Action, aimed at testing the mechanisms that can prepare, organise and deliver a variety of EU-funded cooperative defence research and technology development (R&T) activities to improve the competitiveness and innovation in the European defence industry and to stimulate cooperation amongst R&T actors in the EU Member States.

The signature of this grant agreement continues the path towards EU defence integration and paves the way for developing a future European Defence Fund, especially its research dimension, as part of the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027). The next step in 2019 will be the signatures of the grant agreements related to the calls on electronic design technologies for defence application and effects.

The PADR implementation is run by the European Defence Agency (EDA) following the mandate of a Delegation Agreement between the Commission and EDA signed on 31st May 2017. By this agreement the Commission entrusts EDA with the management and implementation of the research projects to be launched within the PADR.

The PADR implementation is run by the European Defence Agency (EDA) following the mandate of a Delegation Agreement between the Commission and EDA signed on 31st May 2017. By this agreement the Commission entrusts EDA with the management and implementation of the research projects to be launched within the PADR.
 

More information:

• Financial decision
• 2018 calls for proposals published for PA on Defence Research (EDA webnews, 15 March 2018)
• Factsheet ‘Preparatory Action for CSDP-related research’
• Preparatory Action for Defence Research (EDA project page)
• PADR SOLOMON project page

Dark Blade 2019, already the 13th multinational training organised under EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), was successfully completed last week at Náměšť airbase in the Czech Republic.

A total of 29 air assets from Belgium (3 A-109 and 3 NH-90), Czech Republic (5 Mi-24, 6 Mi-171 and 4 L-159 “Alca”), Germany (3 CH-53), Hungary (3 Mi-24 and 2 Mi-27), Slovenia (1 AS-532) and Poland (1 W-3A) were involved in the exercise, as well as around 1,200 military staff. Observers from Serbia, the Netherlands, Sweden and the Joint Air Power Competence Centre (JAPCC) also attended. Furthermore, a multinational Joint Tactical Air Controller (JTAC) team and an Electronic Warfare (EW) emulator system were also involved. A mentor team encompassing helicopter tactics instructors from Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK supported the academic part of the exercise and provided mentoring and standardisation during the planning and execution phases of all Composite Air Operations (COMAO) missions.

The main objective of DB19 was the performance of 8 day/night COMAO missions in a realistic, harsh and complex environment, as well as to carry out specific training as evasion training, live firing, formation flights, paratrooper and scuba jumps, rappelling and fast roping. In total, some 290 flights were performed amounting to around 500 flight hours. 

A Distinguished Visitors Day was organized on 28 May, attended by Czech Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar, the President of the Czech Senate, Jaroslav Kubera, as well as other military and civilian authorities.

During the closing ceremony on 30 May, EDA’s Project Officer Rotary Wing, José Pablo Romera, thanked the Czech Air Force, and in particular 22nd HAB Náměšť Airbase Commander, Col Miroslav Svoboda and all his team, for the outstanding organisation and execution of the exercise. A special thanks also went to all the participants for their proactive involvement and cooperative mindset which resulted in the achievement of the expected training objectives.

The next EDA helicopter exercise, ‘Swift Blade 2020’, will take place in April 2020 and will be jointly hosted by The Netherlands and Belgium, with Gilze-Rijen Air Base as the main location.
 

Background

A decade ago, the multinational helicopter training cooperation started in EDA with the aim of improving the European helicopter operational capability for crisis management operations and prepare helicopter crews for deployments by providing them advanced helicopter tactics training. Over time, requirements related to interoperability and training standardisation have been added to ensure that training does not only improve national readiness, but also supports multinational cooperation.

Since 2009, 13 Blade exercises held in eight different European countries (France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Finland, Hungary and Czech Republic), 9 helicopter tactics symposiums, 63 Helicopter Tactics Courses, 6 Helicopter Tactics Instructors Courses and several other training activities, as COMAO planning courses and the EW courses have been carried out under EDA management and involving 15 EDA Member States.

The outcome of all those trainings is a high level of operational interoperability and helicopter cooperation among a large number of EDA member states. The next important step will be the transfer of all those activities and programmes (HEP, HTC and HTIC) to a future Multinational Helicopter Training Centre (MHTC) by end of 2021.
 

More information

• DARK BLADE factsheet
• DARK BLADE kicks off in the Czech Republic (EDA webnews)
• Helicopter Initiatives (EDA project page)
• HOT BLADE 2018 improved joint and combined helicopter training (EDA news)

 

EDA has launched this week another Defence Energy Managers Course (DEMC), already the third since its creation in January 2017. The courses aim at increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption in the military domain through the application of defence-specific Energy Management Systems (EnMSs) based on the ISO 50001 standard.  

The course which started this week (and will last until May 2020) will provide participants from 8 Member States (Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Sweden) with both theoretical knowledge and practical guidance for using defence-specific and tailor-made Energy Management Systems.

It is split into three modules (10 days in total) alternating with two periods of mentoring and on-the-job training (11 months in total). The course builds on the success of the pilot course and the two first (still ongoing) DEMC editions. 

 

The European Defence Agency’s (EDA) ministerial Steering Board met this Tuesday afternoon under the chairmanship of the Head of the Agency, Federica Mogherini. Defence ministers discussed the Head of Agency’s report on the implementation of EDA’s long-term review and of the statute of the Agency agreed in 2015. They also tasked EDA to pursue its work in key research and capability development domains. In the margins of the meeting, a new military mobility programme on cross-border movement permissions was signed. 
 

Implementation of EDA’s long-term review and the 2015 Council decision  

Ministers welcomed the presentation by the Head of Agency of the report on the implementation of the conclusions and recommendations of EDA’s long term review (LTR, endorsed in May 2017) which reinforced EDA’s mission on three aspects: as the main intergovernmental prioritisation instrument at EU level in support of capability development; as the preferred cooperation forum and management support structure at EU level to engage in technology and capability development activities; and as a central operator with regard to EU funded defence-related activities and military voice in wider EU polices. In parallel to the implementation of the Council decision of 2015, the LTR adjustments allowed EDA to adapt to the fast-changing European defence landscape and the new requirements stemming from the EU defence initiatives that followed the 2016 EU Global Strategy: CARD, PESCO, European Defence Fund.   

Reflecting the Head of Agency’s report, Ministers acknowledged the important support role EDA plays in the implementation of these initiatives as well as in ensuring coherence among them. They tasked the Agency to continue its coordination with the European External Action Services (EEAS including EU Military Staff), the EU Military Committee and the European Commission in their respective areas of responsibility, and to pursue coherence of output and avoidance of unnecessary duplication with NATO. 
The Steering Board agreed to revert to the review of the 2015 Council decision on EDA’s statute, seat and operational rules in 2020.
 

Implementation of EDA’s key taskings and next steps

Ministers were also provided with a comprehensive update on the progress made in the numerous technology and capability development activities currently underway in the Agency. It shows that EDA manages a constantly growing number of projects and programmes which is set to even further increase in the future, also as a result of Member States’ request for support on PESCO projects. 

Among the many research and technology domains in which EDA is active, a particular emphasis was put on Artificial intelligence (AI). In order to better understand the potential future military applications of AI, Ministers agreed on a two-step approach. The first phase will see the creation of a specific EDA cross-Directorate ad-hoc team which will develop a “AI Definition, Taxonomy and Glossary Document”, as well as increased collaboration with EU stakeholders (especially the Commission) and the launch of an Innovation Prize in the area of AI. The second step, later this year, will consist of in-depth analyses of concrete AI defence applications in areas where capability gaps exist.
Ministers also welcomed the Agency’s contribution to the identification of initial lessons related to the 2018 revision of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), the CARD Trial Run, the first PESCO projects and the Preparatory Action on Defence Research. These lessons identified should be reflected and taken into account, as appropriate, in the further development of the defence initiatives, it was stressed. 

The Steering Board also asked the Agency to pursue the implementation of the 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities through robust and output-driven Strategic Context Cases (SCCs). EDA was asked to present to Capability Directors in June 2019 for endorsement the landscaping part of the SCCs, including their avenues of approach to tackle the capability shortfalls and lack of coherence in the European defence landscape, in order to inform the further implementation of the EU defence initiatives. The Agency was also invited to present to the Steering Board in February 2020 detailed roadmaps with objectives and milestones for those activities that, subject to the necessary ad-hoc decisions by Member States, could be taken forward in the Agency framework. 
 

Military Mobility

In the margins of the Steering Board, ministers also signed the new EDA programme on “Optimising cross border movement permission in Europe” (see related news here). The programme aims at decreasing the administrative burden for military movement in the framework of the Agency’s work on military mobility.

 

EDA press contacts:

Elisabeth SCHOEFFMANN
Head of Media & Communication
elisabeth.schoeffmann@eda.europa.eu
T+32 470 87 01 65

Helmut BRULS
Media & Communications Officer
helmut.bruls@eda.europa.eu
T+32 2 504 28 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the margins of today’s EDA Steering Board, 23 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden) and EDA signed a new programme that will facilitate the granting of cross-border surface and air movement permissions. The programme is developed in the framework of EDA’s work on military mobility. It implements an important part of the ‘Action Plan on Military Mobility’ which was presented by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR) and the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council in March 2018. Military mobility is also highlighted in the EU-NATO Joint Declaration signed in Warsaw in 2016.

The purpose of the programme signed today is to harmonise different national regulations of the participating Member States. It should allow Member States to reduce the administrative burden associated with different permission procedures and thus significantly shorten the timelines for granting surface and air cross border movement permissions. The programme provides the basis for important activities at technical and procedural level to develop the necessary arrangements for cross border movement per transport mode during crises, preparations for crises, training and day-to-day business. The arrangements cover surface (road, rail and inland waterways) and air movements (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, fighter aircraft or helicopters). They are expected to be finalised in 2020. 

“Military mobility is about improving the movement of military personnel and assets across and beyond the EU. The high number of Member States participating in this new programme on cross-border movement permissions shows the need to alleviate the administrative burden while fully respecting the sovereignty of Member States”, said Jorge Domecq, EDA’s Chief Executive.
 

Military mobility

Military mobility covers the movement of military personnel and assets from one place to another, including crossing borders by using different modes of transport. The latter is of utmost importance for multinational operations. The capacity to ensure a smooth, efficient and effective movement of military personnel and assets across and beyond the European Union (EU) will enhance the EU’s preparedness and response to crises. It will enable EU Member States to act faster, in line with their defence needs and responsibilities, both in the context of Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations, and in the framework of national and multinational activities.  
 

EDA’s role in the implementation of the Action Plan

EDA is committed to supporting its Member States. The ‘Action Plan on Military Mobility’ builds upon the ‘Roadmap on Military Mobility’ developed by an EDA expert working group which was set up on request of the EDA Member States in September 2017. In addition to the programme on cross border movement permission, the Agency support to Member States comprises another programme on harmonising of military requirements in the customs domain as well as surveys on transportation of dangerous goods and other legal aspects.
 

Further information:

• Factsheet on Military Mobility

 

EDA press contacts: 

Elisabeth SCHOEFFMANN
Head of Media & Communication
elisabeth.schoeffmann@eda.europa.eu
T+32 470 87 01 65

Helmut BRULS
Media & Communications Officer
helmut.bruls@eda.europa.eu
T+32 2 504 28 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five EDA Member States operating C-27J Spartan military aircraft (Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Slovakia and Romania) participate in the 4th edition of the European Spartan exercise which started today (13 May) at Otopeni airbase in Romania. Observers from other C-27J user countries, such as Greece and even the United States and Australia, also attend the event which runs until 24 May. The aim of the exercise is to increase interoperability among European C27J Spartan operators. It is one of the outcomes of the European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) partnership signed in 2011 by 20 EDA Member States.

Designed by EDA and hosted by the Romanian Air Force, the event aims at promoting aircraft user type approaches to harmonise tactics, techniques and procedures as well as to develop more cost-effective solutions to operate and sustain the C27J. The objective is to provide air crews with both academic and flight training as well as to have ground crews developing harmonised procedures to eventually allowing them to perform cross maintenance on each other’s aircraft.  The C-27J Spartan aircraft can perform tactical missions in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, providing direct air transport to the theatre, day and night.

This flying event was developed in the framework of the C27J cooperation concept launched in 2015 by EDA. This concept is looking at developing a far-reaching level of interoperability amongst European C27J operators through a variety of projects in the areas of operations & training, logistics, airworthiness, common procurement and SESAR. The main advantages of EDA’s user groups – that are working in full transparency and cooperate with all other existing user groups led by other organisations, industry and/or service providers – is to group medium and small national fleets to take advantage of economies of scale, to exchange best practices and to be more cost-efficient in operating and sustaining the aircraft.
 

Media & VIP Days

On 22 May, a dedicated Media Day will take place offering journalists the possibility to attend a flying exercise at Boboc Airbase will include the landing of C-27J Spartan aircraft on soil and short-distance tracks, parachuting personnel and materials, cooperation with combat aircraft, airline coordination with land forces and medical evacuation. Media representatives who want to participate are requested to send their personal data (name, surname, ID number, name/address of media they represent) to proff@roaf.ro (deadline: Friday 17 May, 2pm).

The following day, on 23 May, there will also be a Distinguished Visitors’ Day attended by Romanian Defence Minister Gabriel-Beniamin Leş and EDA Deputy Chief Executive Olli Ruutu. Media representatives who want to attend the Distinguished Visitors’ Day are requested to send their personal data (name, surname, ID number, name/address of media they represent) to proff@roaf.ro (deadline: Wednesday 22 May, 2pm).
 

Background information

The European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) partnership, launched in 2011 and now gathering 20 Member States (AT, BE, BG, CZ, DE, EL, ES, FI, FR, IT, LT, LU, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SE, NO and HU), aims at increasing the airlift provision in the EU, developing concrete solutions to increase the efficiency of existing and future fleets and to optimise the use of air transport organisations and structures. Other activities undertaken as part of EATF include the C-27 J Spartan Cooperation CAT B Programme, the Transport Plot Training Capacity AHWG, the Diplomatic Clearance Ad Hoc Working Group (AHWG) and the Operations and Training AHWG.
 

European 2019 Spartan: List of participating air forces and aircraft

• Romania:  1 C-27 J, (plus 1 C130, 1 Helicopter, 1 C 27 J for logistic support)
• Bulgaria: 1 C-27 J
• Italy: 1 C-27 J
• Lithuania: 1 C-27 J
• Slovakia: Maintenance personnel only
• Observer nations: Greece, United States, Australia
   

Background

Beside  the Spartan Exercise, the C27-J Spartan Cooperation is developing a common type training for aircrews, using the already existing facilities placed in Romania and Italy; a common training for maintenance under the new European standards, a common logistic support and a common avionics upgrade programme to benefit of economies of scale.
 

More information:

• EDA factsheet European Spartan 2019

 

Last April, the OMBT-Leo 2 programme entered a new phase with the publication of a call to European industry to participate in a Preliminary Market Consultation (PMC). Industry is invited to respond to the PMC not later than 18 July 2019.

On this matter, EDA encourages EU defence industry to establish European multinational cross-border industrial partnerships as the preferred mechanism to exploit this opportunity. Additionally, EDA considers the OMBT-Leo2 programme as a suitable vehicle for enhanced access for sid-caps/small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to the European cross-border supply chains.

In order to support the PMC, EDA organised today (13 May) a business-to-business (B2B) workshop to encourage industry to consider the establishment of business relationships between potential future prime contractors and sub-contractors and / or the formation of related consortia (national or multinational) that will provide the basis for the delivery of a full capability for the OMBT-Leo2 Programme, covering MBT, derivatives, as well as the rest of the Programme aspects (e.g. Integrated Logistics Support, simulation, training, …).

EDA’s B2B workshop attracted wide participation: a substantial number of industrial entities (31 in total) covering a wide size range, from major industries down to SMEs, and Leo2 MBT capacities at system and sub-system level, attended the workshop. The B2B workshop proceedings provided a solid opportunity for industries to meet, get known to each other, present their requirements/capabilities, identify potential business opportunities and find the right partners, in view of best preparing for the future implementation of the OMBT-Leo2 Programme.

In conclusion, EDA’s B2B workshop successfully fulfilled its mission to promote industrial cross-border cooperation within the EU, especially in view of future enhanced Mid-caps/SMEs’ access to defence contracts and to supply chains of the industrial entities that may be awarded in the future contracts for the implementation of the OMBT-Leo2 Programme.
 

Background

• EDA seeks European defence industry’s input on Main Battle Tank optimization – 22 September 2017
• Wanted: Industry solutions for optimisation of MBT capabilities – 2 April 2019

DARK BLADE 2019, the 13th helicopter exercise organised under the umbrella of the European Defence Agency’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), takes place as of today (13 May) at Náměšť airbase in Czech Republic, until 1 June 2019.

A total of 29 air assets (25 helicopters + 4 fixed wing) and some 600 military personnel from six countries - Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia, - will participate in this exercise hosted by the Czech Air Force. DARK BLADE 2019 will allow crews to practice operations in various environment replicating the challenging conditions that participant forces are expected to encounter when deploying to a theatre of operation.

The exercise’s main focus will be on enhancing interoperability at the tactical level between helicopter units by using the Composite Air Operations (COMAO) concept in a combined, joint, realistic and challenging environment.

Its main objectives are to:

• enhance tactical interoperability between helicopter units from the participating countries by using the COMAO concept in a combined, joint, realistic and challenging environment and to operate using standard helicopter Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs). The focus will be on Composite Air Operations (COMAO) with live firing and trooping;
• train and practise TTPs with/against fighter jets and electronic warfare means on the ground;
• improve interoperability in training and operational tasks with Ground Forces involvement (NVG operations, low level flying, formation flights, FARP training, gunnery, etc.) in a full spectrum environment.
   

Programme

Participating crews will fly diverse day and night COMAO missions and execute Air Assault (AA), Air Interdiction (AI), Air Transport (AT), Close Air Support (CAS), Personnel Recovery (PR) missions, night flights (with/without NVG) and other missions at tactical level.

They will also train special procedures like marshalling, fast rope and abseiling techniques, Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction (SPIE), pick-up and drop off procedures, air-to-surface live firing (helicopter door gunnery and sniper training).

In addition, DARK BLADE 2019 will provide multiple opportunities to practice multinational training with the Special Operation Forces (e.g. infiltration and exfiltration) and will enhance crews’ skills in using the HEP Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and COMAO planning procedures in the conduct of tactical missions.

Six instructors from Austria, Sweden and the United Kingdom trained in EDA’s Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC) accompanied with some Instructors from the Netherlands trained on the Dutch Helicopter Weapon Instructor (HWI) course will jointly form the DARK BLADE 2019 Mentor Team, ready to support the multinational crews during the preparation and execution of the COMAO missions. The EDA’s Chief Instructor (CI) Team will manage and supervise the Mentor Team to ensure consistency and the best possible uptake of lessons learned coming from EDA helicopter activities (HTC, HTIC, COMAO planning and the EW Course) and operational experience.
 

Distinguished Visitors Day

A Distinguished Visitors Day (DVD) is planned for 28 May 2019 when representatives from all EDA Member States and representatives of Switzerland, Norway and the Republic of Serbia will have the opportunity to attend and observe various live training sessions.
 

Background

The annual Blade exercise is part of EDA’s wider Helicopter Portfolio aimed at providing Member States with a joint European framework to develop, consolidate and share best practices in order to meet the challenges of flying helicopters in a modern operational environment. Other components of this Portfolio are the annual HEP Symposium, the Helicopter Tactics Courses (HTC), the Helicopter Tactics Instructor Courses (HTIC), and the COMAO Planning and Electronic Warfare (EW) Courses.
 

More information:

• DARK BLADE factsheet
• Helicopter Initiatives (EDA project page)
• HOT BLADE 2018 improved joint and combined helicopter training (EDA news)

 

 

EDA has issued a call for applications from parties interested in participating in the third edition of the ‘EDA Defence Innovation Prize’ contest rewarding companies and research entities who come up with innovative and ground-breaking technologies, products, processes or services applicable in the defence domain.

The area that has been selected for this year innovation prize is “AI applications for defence” and will include:

• Supporting decision-making tools in command and control
• Improve intelligence gathering and processing of information to improve the common operational picture
• Supporting the autonomy of unmanned systems
• Demonstrating the efficient use of AI in combination with 5G and Internet of Things

 
The winning idea/concept will be worth 30,000€

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is recognised as a disruptive technology with potentially revolutionary effects already in the short term. 

Even though civil applications and commercial producers are the main drivers behind the Artificial Intelligence evolution, Ministries of Defence and armed forces do not ignore the potential benefits of using these technologies to improve European defence capabilities.

Against this backdrop, contesters for this EDA Defence Innovation Prize are expected to propose ideas or concepts which, if implemented between now and 2035, would help improve and enhance specific EU defence capabilities.

No specific defence background is required to participate in the contest which is open to innovators from ALL types of industries and research institutions in Europe: defence & civil/commercial producers, large companies & SMEs, defence-related & civil research communities. Applications from dual-use and civil/commercial innovators and researchers are even particularly encouraged.

The rules of the contest and the criteria for participation are available here. 

Deadline for submissions: 30 August 2019 (5pm Brussels time).

Information on how to apply can be found in the contest documentation under the link above.

The prize winners will be notified not later than October 2019. An EDA Defence Innovation Prize award ceremony is scheduled to take place at the 2019 EDA Annual Conference in Brussels.

 

Status of the 2nd edition of the EDA innovation

The selection committee of the 2nd EDA Innovation prize, after a thorough evaluation of the submitted project ideas, decided not to award the prize to any of the participating project ideas. The reasoning behind this decision of the selection committee wasn’t because of the quality or merit of the submitted ideas but due to the fact that none of them could demonstrate a clear contribution of the project idea to a defence problem.
 

More information:

• Call for applications
• EDA Defence Innovation Prize webpage

 

The 19th edition of the Joint Personnel Recovery Staff Course, which ended today in Veszprem (Hungary), was also the last one of its kind: after six years, EDA’s Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Course (PRCPC) project came to a successful conclusion. The last JPRSC was organized by the Hungarian Defence Forces’ Air Command and Control Centre with the support of the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC), a close partner of EDA. 

Launched in May 2013 as an EDA ‘Cat B’ project initially supported by Sweden (lead), Austria, Germany and The Netherlands, the PRCPC grew over time to count today eight participating Member States (Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary and Italy joined later). During the six years, the project allowed participating Member States to train more than 500 staff who are now able to perform specific Personnel Recovery Planning tasks during military operations.
 

Follow-up project underway

Based on the project’s success, a follow-up collaborative initiative is already under preparation within the Agency, as a ‘Cat B’ project called ‘Joint Personnel Recovery Education and Training Courses’. Its objective will be to organise multinational Joint Personnel Recovery (JPR) training events under EDA’s umbrella.  Moreover, new courses will be developed and organised such as specific ‘JPR Leadership Courses’ and ‘JPR operational Planner Courses’.
 

Background

In 2011, EDA’s Project Team Personnel Recovery identified the lack of well-trained PR staff in military operations as an important operational shortfall, as well as a training gap. Accordingly, it initiated a series of four pilot courses for PR controller and planners to assess the need for conducting multinational PR courses at EU level. The four pilots were hosted by Sweden (March 2011), the Netherlands (November 2011) and Germany (March & November 2012).  Based on their success, four PT PR participating Member States (AT, DE, NL, SE) decided to join their forces under EDA’s umbrella for organizing multinational PRCPC events. The Cat B project PRCPC was established, initially for just two years but later extended twice for two years respectively, until 30 May 2019. In the meantime, four additional Member States (BE, CY, HU, IT) had joined.

In November 2018, the PRCPC contributing Member States decided to make the course documentation available to all EDA Member States, at no cost, in order to support them overcome the existent shortfall on well-trained PR staff. For this purpose, a dedicated workspace will be created under EDA’s Collaboration Platform.
 

More information

For more details regarding PRCPC/JPRSC documentation and related PR training tools (SERE e-learning and PR FAS ATD) please contact EDA at CAP@eda.europa.eu.

The European Defence Agency (EDA) currently has several job openings in different Directorates: 8 Seconded National Experts (SNE), 3 Temporary Agents, 2 Contract Agents and 10 Trainees (1 year duration). The profiles we’re looking for include head of unit, project officer, assistant and trainee positions across all EDA Directorates. Candidates must apply via the EDA website. 

Among the vacancies, you will find the position of Deputy Director/Head of Unit (Air Domain), Head of Unit Operations Support, Education, Training and Exercise, Project Officer SES Policy, Project Officer Land Programmes, Project Officer REACH, Project Officer Counter-IED, Project Officer Cyber Defence Technology, Project Officer Engage, Project Officer CDP & CODABA, Project Officer Air Systems Technologies and many more. Starting dates vary between September 2019 - September 2020. 

Through the EDA Traineeship Programme we offer 10 trainee posts of 1 year duration in different domains, starting September 2019. Deadline for applications: 31 May 2019.

Do not miss this chance and consult the EDA job portal for an overview of all open posts!

The Agency is an “outward-facing” organisation, constantly interacting with its shareholders, the participating Member States, as well as with a wide range of stakeholders. It works in an integrated way, with multi-disciplinary teams representing all of the Agency’s functional areas, to realise its objectives. Its business processes are flexible and oriented towards achieving results. Staff at all levels need to demonstrate the corresponding qualities of commitment, flexibility, innovation, and team-working; to work effectively with shareholders and stakeholder groups, formal and informal; and to operate without the need for detailed direction.

Representatives of all EU and NATO Member States as well as the NATO International Staff were invited to the EDA premises today for an informal briefing on the revised Capability Development Plan (CDP) approved in June 2018 and on its ongoing implementation process. The event was held at the initiative of the EDA Steering Board as part of the renewed EU-NATO cooperation under the Warsaw and Brussels Joint Declarations which call for more transparency and coherence of output between the EU and NATO defence planning processes. 22 EU Member States are also NATO Allies.

Jorge Domecq, the EDA Chief Executive, and Martin Konertz, the Capability, Armament & Planning Director, provided participants with an detailed overview on the general CDP process, on last year’s revision and the 11 new EU Capability Development Priorities, as well as on their implementation through the development of individual Strategic Context Cases (SCCS) which will serve as launching pads for potential future collaborative projects. They also explained the crucial role the CDP plays as a key reference for Member States’ and EU's capability development, and how it guides and informs the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), and the European Defence Fund (EDF). 

Participants were also briefed about how EDA ensures coherence with NATO, thus mitigating the risk of unnecessary duplication.  The Agency will continue to pursue coherence of output and timelines between the EU and NATO Defence Planning Processes in full transparency with the Member States.

“The meeting aimed at further enhancing transparency and visibility on the overall process and main elements of the revised CDP priorities, and at elaborating on the ways EU and NATO pursue coherence of output as well as the associated benefits, considering that Member States/Allies have a single set of forces and capabilities”, Mr Domecq commented. “I am confident that the meeting was particularly beneficial to those Allies which are not involved in the CDP process”. 
 

More information

• 2018 European Capability Development Priorities (EDA brochure)

 

Jean-François Ripoche joined the European Defence Agency (EDA) on 1 May 2019 as the Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) Director. He previously held the position of Research and Technology Director at the Strategy Directorate of DGA (Direction générale de l'armement), the French Ministry of Defence Procurement Agency.

Mr Ripoche graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique (X90) and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Techniques Avancées in Paris, and holds a PhD in laser Physics. 

With his engineering background, Jean-François Ripoche brings to EDA years of experience in Research and Technology in the military field. He started his career in 1998 at the DGA and worked across various domains such as UAVs, Landsystems, Space and Cybersecurity. 

Holding the position of Deputy Director for Industrial Affairs in charge of the electronics, land systems and naval systems industries from 2008 to 2012, he developed a sound experience of relations with industry.

“l look forward to joining the European Defence Agency during this very challenging period. Research, technology and innovation are key areas that will contribute to effectively deliver European defence capabilities. I am committed to continuing the work initiated at EDA to streamline Member States’ and European defence R&T priorities and to promote cooperation opportunities, using adequate funding instruments”, Mr Ripoche said upon taking up his duties.

As Research, Technology and Innovation Director, Jean-François Ripoche will lead a key Directorate of the Agency which fosters and supports defence research at EU level. Based on the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA), developed together with the Member States, the Directorate coordinates and plans joint research activities and the study of technical solutions to meet future operational needs. The Directorate provides support to Member States and to the European Commission for the Preparatory Action on defence research, including its implementation, and the research dimension of the European Defence Fund. The Directorate also ensures the promotion of innovation in defence and the exploitation of synergies at EU level with civil research in dual-use technology.
 

More information:

• Jean-Francois Ripoche CV

Later this autumn, on 2-3 October 2019, EDA will organise a Workshop on Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF) and Telemedicine in order to support and facilitate future Multinational Medical Modular Unit (M3U) capability development and to foster and establish a dialogue with industry.

The main objective of the workshop will be to identify requirements for development of new MTF and telemedicine solutions as well as advanced products and services within two specific areas:

• Field hospitals for future CSDP operations. The ambition is to look for new systems to realize or provide cost-effective solutions for new generations of MTF in order to support collaborative development of a multinational deployable field hospital capability - ROLE 2 Basic Highly Mobile (Role 3). The workshop will allow the concrete discussions on the way ahead and on how national requirements can be harmonised with a view to moving towards procurement.
• Telemedicine. The main focus here is on IT and advanced technology solutions starting at the point of injury (POI) and continuing through the military medical chain up to developing complete solutions, medical equipment and material development applicable to surgery, resuscitation and diagnostics as well as on computers and robots able to perform telemedicine within MTF.
   

Questionnaire

In order to prepare the workshop and to ensure an objective and balanced discussion, EDA invites industry to provide input and express their views and expectations via a special questionnaire prepared by the Agency. The questionnaire has been also distributed via National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs) and AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD). EDA encourages industry to participate in the survey as this will contribute to ensuring a high-quality workshop.

Industrial representatives will be invited to the workshop to present their products and solutions, and to discuss and share their views on concrete medium and long-term developments. The eligibility and selection criteria for participation are presented in the questionnaire. Submissions will be judged on their innovativeness and relevance as well as ability to stimulate discussion on the future role of Medical support.

Participation in this call for papers is open to companies of any size as well as academic, semi-governmental research institutes and associations or grouping of industrial suppliers.
 

How to submit 

• The questionnaire can be uploaded here
• Send your response to the questionnaire to CAP@eda.europa.eu, with a copy to Daniel.PETRILAK@eda.europa.eu; 
• Deadline for submissions is 22 May 2019.
  
  

More information: 

• Medical Support (EDA project page);

The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Commission (DG GROW) today jointly held a successful Information & Brokerage Day to inform potential applicants on the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) and the details of the 2019 calls for proposals published on 19 March.

Almost 300 participants representing a wide variety of companies (including SMEs), research centres, universities, Ministries of Defence, European institutions, regional/local authorities and defence related organisations joined in Brussels to attend the event.

In his keynote speech, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq said it was “of utmost importance that EU funded defence research leads to real products that can enhance European capabilities.” He added: “The Pilot Project which EDA managed was successfully concluded and follow-up activities to exploit the results from it are already under discussion. It is therefore very encouraging to see downstream activities from the Pilot Project that should encourage further uptake of the results from the Preparatory Action on Defence Research.”

In her opening remarks, Sylvia Kainz-Huber, Head of Unit Defence 2 in the European Commission (DG GROW), thanked EDA for the fruitful collaboration. She added that “the European Union should not substitute Member States’ efforts in defence, but it can encourage their collaboration, for instance in developing and acquiring the technologies and equipment needed to address common security and defence challenges". 

The PADR 2019 work programme includes the following calls/topics:

• Electromagnetic Spectrum Dominance: Combined radar, communications, and electronic warfare functions based on European Active Electronically Scanned Arrays for military applications (PADR-EMS-03-2019).

• Future Disruptive Defence Technologies 

1. Emerging Game-changers (PADR-FDDT-EMERGING-03-2019)
2. Challenging the future (PADR-FDDT-OPEN-03-2019).

• Unmanned systems: Interoperability standards for military unmanned systems (PADR-US-03-2019).

During the Information & Brokerage Day, participants received detailed presentations and played an active role in interactive information sessions on the three PADR calls for proposals. The Brokerage event which took place in the afternoon provided participants with plenty of opportunities for networking with partners interested in forming consortia. More than 250 bilateral meetings have been held.

Published on 19 March 2019 in the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal on the European Commission website, the calls will be implemented through grants with a deadline for submission set to 28 August 2019.
 

Background information:

The Preparatory Action on Defence Research is the first substantial EU funded Action through which the European Commission, supported by EDA, is making an important contribution to European defence, as set out in the 2016 EU Global Strategy and its Implementation Plan. 

The PADR follows a Pilot Project managed by EDA and successfully concluded in November last year. With a total budget of €90M over three years (€25M in 2019), the PADR is implemented through three work programmes with different calls and topics. EDA published the first PADR calls for proposals on 7 June 2017 and the second on 15 March 2018. A total of 24 proposals were received involving some 190 different entities from 25 countries in 2017 (24 Member States plus Norway), and 8 proposals were received in 2018 involving 85 different entities from 20 countries. 

The 2019 PADR calls for proposals are the third and final call published. Five projects (OCEAN 2020, Pythia, ACAMS II, GOSSRA and VESTLIFE), selected and funded following the 2017 Calls for Proposals, are already ongoing. The three projects of the 2018 Calls will be signed in the near future. EDA, as the entrusted implementing Agency is strongly committed to the PADR objective of testing the added-value of the EU budget supporting defence research, in view of a potential EU programme in the next EU Multi-annual Financial Framework.
 

More information:

• Jorge Domecq - Opening remarks PADR Infoday 2019
• PADR Info Day (EDA page)
• PADR project page
• PADR Calls for Proposals

 

Last week, a kick-off meeting was held at EDA to launch the contractual work on the Cyber Defence Situation Awareness Package Rapid Research Prototype (CySAP-RRP) project, in the presence of representatives of the three contributing Member States:  Spain (lead country), Germany and Italy. The industry consortium in charge of the project (INDRA Sistemas SA, Leonardo S.p.a and Fraunhofer) provided Member States with an overview of the project management plan describing tasks, milestones and project deliverables. 

The project was conceived as the first step of a spiral development in order to set up a full Cyber Situation Awareness operational capability. The CySAP-RRP will be built upon previous work done by EDA to develop a Target Architecture and System Requirements for an enhanced Cyber Defence Situation Awareness Capability. 

The core objectives of the project include essential research challenges to assist military decision-makers in cyberspace and to set the basis for a fully-fledged Command and Control (C2) system for cyber operations. 

CySAP is at the forefront of technology development with the aim of obtaining a common and standardized cyber defence planning and management functional area service. The research challenges are to provide a comprehensive understanding of the cyber defence elements in the planning and conduct phase of military operations in which cyberspace is now recognised and treated as any other domain such as land, air or maritime. 

Under the framework of EDA, the three Member States participating in CySAP agreed a common set of requirements and a Target Architecture for the capability. CySAP follows a modular approach allowing  to have a flexible set of functionalities by exercising a system engineering process. Current market available solutions for cyber situational awareness do not meet the entire spectrum of military requirements such as risk analysis, cyber related Courses of Action (CoA) development and assessment as well as support to decision-making. CySAP will provide situational analysis that can be integrated into the overall common operational picture of a mission, as a cyber information layer able to provide timely and accurate situational awareness. CySAP is set to obtain innovative solutions by joining efforts of leading defence industries and researchers in Europe.

The architectural design comprises several spirals to be completed in the next years subject to future investments. The possibility to introduce CySAP follow-on activities into PESCO or the EDIDP are currently explored and assessed. The next progress review meeting is scheduled for September 2019 in Spain. 

Background

The updated EU Capability Development Plan (CDP) endorsed by the EDA Steering Board in June 2018 reconfirmed cyber defence as a priority for capability development in the EU. The CDP recognises the need for defensive cyber operations in any operational context, based on sophisticated current and predictive cyberspace situational awareness. This includes the ability to combine large amounts of data and intelligence from numerous sources in support of rapid decision making and increased automation of the data gathering, analysis and decision-support process. 

In November 2018, the European Council adopted an updated version of the EU cyber defence policy framework (CDPF).  Supporting the development of Member States’ cyber defence capabilities is a priority area where the now established CySAP project serves as a core to guide future research and operational capabilities.

‘Locked Shields’, the world’s biggest and most advanced international cyber defence exercise involving life-fire attacks, is organized annually by NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE) in Tallinn. This year’s edition will take place from 9-12 April with some 1,000 experts from around 30 nations participating. EDA will support the strategic track part of the exercise.  

The exercise will see a Red team (based in Tallinn) attacking Blue Teams made up by CCD COE member states (based at exercise locations in their capitals) who will act as national rapid reaction teams deployed to assist a fictional country in handling large-scale cyber incidents and all their multiple implications. The main task of the Blue Teams is to protect and maintain their services and networks against these life attacks. Besides countering the technical attacks, information sharing, teamwork and cooperation will also be key aspects to be tested in this exercise. 

With its rich expertise and experience gained from several strategic decision-making exercises organised with Member States over recent years, EDA will support the ‘Locked Shields 2019 Strategic Track’, a parallel, table-top decision-making exercise track playing in the same fictitious, sovereign state under severe cyber-attacks from an aggressive neighbour. Participating Blue Teams will act as rapid reaction teams and advisors. High-level cyber/hybrid crisis management and legal decisions have to be made in accordance with national, EU, NATO and UN regulations by those Blue Teams. The roles of NATO, EU and UN will be played by a “White Team”, including EDA.
 

More information: 

• Cyber Defence (EDA project page)
• NATO CCD COE (Locked Shields page)
  
  

EDA’s ‘OMBT-Leo2’ project, launched in spring 2017 with the ambition to optimise existing Main Battle Tank (MBT) capabilities in Europe (with an initial focus on the Leopard 2A4), will enter a new phase in the coming days with the publication of a call to European industry to participate in a Preliminary Market Consultation (PMC) and offer possible market solutions. 

The purpose of the PMC is to gather accurate information regarding possible commercial solutions for upgrading Leopard 2A4s up to the 2A7 or equivalent version, in-line with existing technical standards and requirements. Participants are asked to respond to the PMC with proposed solutions that are sufficiently detailed and include a realistic price range and possible timelines. 

The objective is to reach out to the full European defence industry spectrum and ensure the collection of comprehensive and accurate cost data.  To this purpose, the PMC will be disseminated via the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) and EU National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs). Industry will have to submit their responses to the PMC until 18 July 2019. Only responses covering full system-level solutions will be taken into further consideration.

EDA encourages the establishment of European multinational cross-border industrial partnerships as the preferred mechanism to exploit this opportunity. The Agency also considers this programme as a suitable vehicle for enhanced access for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to the cross-border supply chain.

The PMC follows EDA’s Request of Information (RFI) in 2017 through which a first contact was established with industry on this concrete programme
 

Business-to-business workshop

In order to support the PMC, EDA will organise a business-to-business (B2B) workshop at its premises in Brussels around mid-May. Further details on this workshop, including participation criteria and related requirements, will be communicated by EDA to industry in due time.

The aim of the B2B workshop is to promote cross-border cooperation within the EU and enhance mid-caps/small and medium enterprises’ access to defence contracts in general, and to the future OMBT-Leo2 programme (contractual) implementation in particular, by facilitating initial contacts between industrial stakeholders with relevant expertise (at full-system and / or subsystem level), in this field. Specific criteria for participation of interested industries will be part of the communication and each request will be assessed by contributing Member States experts and EDA, on a case-by-case basis.
 

Way ahead

The information gathered through the PMC will be assessed by EDA and governmental subject matter experts. The results of the assessment will further support contributing Member States in their national decision, and EDA in the awarding process of possible future contracts.
 

Background

In spring 2017, EDA launched the ‘OMBT-Leo2’ project, a new Pooling & Sharing initiative which aims at optimizing existing Main Battle Tank (MBT) capabilities in Europe with an initial focus on the Leopard 2A4. The concept foresees the offer of surplus Leopard platforms available in certain Member States (the ‘providers’) and transfer them (lease, rent or sell) together with an upgrading package to one or several other Member States (the ‘receivers’) interested in acquiring and introducing in-service this type of capability. The Pooling & Sharing of training, exercises and maintenance between providers and receivers, using already existing facilities, is also part of the concept. Upgrade of legacy MBTs to the latest technical standards would have a positive impact for European defence industry in the area of land systems. It would also contribute to the maintenance of technological excellence of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). Additionally, regarding economies of scale, Member States owning and operating for national purposes the same type of MBTs, can opt-in for upgrading their in-service fleet.
 

More information : 

• EDA seeks European defence industry’s input on Main Battle Tank optimization (EDA news, September 2017)
  
  

EDA held a workshop in Athens recently to conclude the first phase of the Smart Blue Water Camps (SBWC) research project. 

Water infrastructure is facing pressures due to climatic changes and sometimes a lack of investment. At the same time, military installations can be insufficiently acknowledged in both distributed water management and pollution control despite their ubiquitous presence.

Against this backdrop, EDA’s SBWC research project was launched in 2017 with the Hellenic MOD as lead nation to investigate how to improve water management in military camps from sustainability, hydro-informatics, and technological perspectives. During 2017 and 2018 at sites from each of the six participating Member States involved (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain), the National Technical University of Athens collated water supply, distribution and consumption data, and made technical assessments. Bespoke recommendations were made for each of the military sites from across these different European geographic and climatic regions based on:

• detailed modelling of water and wastewater cycle of each camp using an Urban Water Cycle Optioneering Tool (UWOT)  
• assessments of alternative scenarios regarding interventions for each camp 
• consideration of social, economic, environmental and technological context factors such as population, monitoring and automation of water transmission and storage systems, budget availability, regional water quantity and quality, climate change, and the feasibility of using information and communications technology (ICT)
• development of Key Performance Indicator protocols, including economic, operational and social impacts 
• economic assessments of interventions for each camp based on modelling results.

Recommended interventions varied in scale and complexity and ranged from those of a more straightforward nature, such as the installation of grey water recycling and water harvesting systems, to more technologically sophisticated measures, such as the application of ground penetrating radar to support leak detection and control  or the use of a grid of smart sensors to enable real-time monitoring and management of water supply systems.

It was found that leakage was responsible for considerable water losses with mitigation measures costing around 40% of the annual cost of water lost to leakage in one case, thereby providing a significant return on investment.

Rainwater harvesting in another case could provide nearly two thirds of the supply required for vehicle washing. Installation of smart water grid systems would integrate ICT into the management of the water distribution systems to optimize operation of the water supply network.

The conclusions of the final report were presented and the way ahead, such as implementation of nationally based recommendations as well as potential further steps, were discussed at the workshop chaired by Richard Brewin, EDA Project Officer Energy and Environment Systems.