The multinational fleet of Airbus A330 tanker and transport aircraft, which was developed with support from the European Defence Agency (EDA), has been cleared for operations worldwide. First proposed at a NATO summit in 2012, the initiative for a Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF) was established by EDA along with the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.
Now with six participating countries, the fleet performs air-to-air refueling of fighter jets, can carry out medical evacuations and also transport cargo and passengers. MMF reached Initial Operational Capability on March 23 in a ceremony attended by EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, as well as the ministers and senior officials of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Norway, Germany, Czechia and the European Commission.
Preparing for take-off: EDA’s roleEDA’s role in getting the project off the ground was crucial, by bringing together contributing Member States, motivating countries to join and negotiating the aircraft acquisition options.
To initiate MMF, EDA set up a project team to work on the harmonisation of requirements towards a future tanker capability. It helped craft the legal framework to establish the programme and smooth the way for the organisational and industrial partners that were to join.
The Netherlands, where the NATO-owned aircraft are registered, serves as the fleet’s base. Aircraft are also stationed in Cologne, Germany. The Netherlands and Luxembourg launched the programme in July 2016. Germany and Norway joined in 2017. Belgium followed in early 2018 and Czechia joined the MMF programme in October 2019.
Seven aircraft from the fleet are in service. Two more are expected to join in 2024, with the tenth aircraft scheduled for delivery at the end of 2026.
Flying highAt present, the fleet has already provided six million liters – or about twice the volume of an olympic-size swimming pool - of fuel to NATO allies. MMF aircraft were the first tankers to deploy over Poland in support of NATO air policing following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In total, the fleet has flown more than 500 missions, as well as supported the evacuation of civilians from Afghanistan and deployed for exercises with NATO partners such as Australia. Later this year, MMF aircraft will fly to the Middle East to support operations against ISIS.
EDA’s wider roleEDA supports all EU Member States in improving their defence capabilities through European cooperation. Acting as an enabler and facilitator for Ministries of Defence willing to engage in collaborative capability projects, the Agency has become the hub for European defence cooperation with expertise and networks spanning the whole spectrum of defence capabilities.
Member States use EDA as an intergovernmental expert platform where their collaborative projects are supported, facilitated, and implemented. For more details, please see here
Bruxelles, den 23. marts 2023. I dag bliver Danmark den 27. medlemsstat i Det Europæiske Forsvarsagentur (EDA). Agenturets leder, Josep Borrell, modtog en officiel meddelelse fra fungerende forsvarsminister Troels Lund Poulsen om, at Danmark vil tilslutte sig EDA, der blev oprettet i 2004 for at støtte det europæiske forsvarssamarbejde. Beslutningen er resultatet af Danmarks historiske folkeafstemning om ophævelse af forsvarsforbeholdet i juni 2022 og følger efter afslutningen af behandlingen i Folketinget. Med Danmarks deltagelse er medlemmerne af EDA nu udvidet til at omfatte alle EU's medlemsstater.
Danmarks deltagelse i EDA er en kraftig styrkelse af det europæiske forsvarssamarbejde og giver Danmark mulighed for at deltage fuldt ud i alle agenturets projekter, aktiviteter og arbejdsgrupper.
"Vi bygger et stærkere, mere modstandsdygtigt europæisk forsvar. Danmarks medlemskab af Det Europæiske Forsvarsagentur er endnu et skridt på vejen mod et tættere forsvarssamarbejde. I juni sidste år sendte det danske folk et stærkt signal om deres engagement i europæisk sikkerhed og forsvar. Fordelene ved denne beslutning er klare. Som chef for agenturet byder jeg Danmark hjerteligt velkommen til EDA, især i en tid, hvor EU åbner nye veje for forsvarssamarbejde med fælles indkøb af ammunition, kapacitetsudvikling og innovation for fremtiden,” siger EU’s Udenrigsrepræsentant og Chef for Forsvarsagenturet Josep Borell.
”Den internationale orden er under opbrud, og demokratiske værdier er under pres. Ukraine har fortsat brug for massiv støtte fra allierede, herunder ammunition, for at kunne modstå de russiske aggressioner. En del af ammunitionen skal skaffes gennem koordination af indkøb og øget produktion i EU. Det er rigtig positivt, at vi kan være med i disse vigtige initiativer fra dansk side,” siger fungerende forsvarsminister Troels Lund Poulsen.
Jiří Šedivý , EDA's administrerende direktør, udtaler: "I dag bliver Det Europæiske Forsvarsagentur en helhed. Det glæder mig at byde Danmark velkommen som medlem af EDA efter folkeafstemningen og folketingsbeslutningen. På et tidspunkt, hvor krigen er vendt tilbage til Europa, er samarbejdet på forsvarsområdet vigtigere end nogensinde. Danmark kan nu drage fordel af EDA's ekspertise og deltage i projekter og programmer for at fremme sine ambitioner på forsvarsområdet."
VELKOMMEN TIL DET EUROPÆISKE FORSVARSAGENTUREDA hjælper medlemsstaterne med at forbedre deres forsvarskapacitet gennem samarbejde. Forsvarsagenturet fungerer som katalysator og formidler for forsvarsministerier, der er villige til at deltage i samarbejdsbaserede kapacitetsprojekter. Agenturet er dermed blevet knudepunktet for det europæiske forsvarssamarbejde med ekspertise og netværk, der omfatter hele spektret af forsvarskapaciteter.
Medlemsstaterne anvender EDA som en mellemstatslig ekspertplatform, hvor deres samarbejdsprojekter understøttes, faciliteres og gennemføres. Få mere information her
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Today Denmark becomes the 27th member state of the European Defence Agency (EDA). Head of the Agency, Josep Borrell, received an official notification from acting Minister of Defence, Troels Lund Poulsen, that Denmark will join EDA, which was set up in 2004 to support European defence cooperation. Following the conclusion of a Danish parliamentary process, the decision is the result of Denmark’s historic national referendum to lift its opt-out on European defence in June 2022. Danish participation in EDA broadens membership of the Agency to all EU Member States.
Denmark joining EDA is a strong boost for European defence cooperation and allows full Danish participation in all Agency projects, activities and working groups.
Head of the Agency, HR/VP, Josep Borrell said: “We are building a stronger, more capable European defence. Today, Denmark’s membership of the European Defence Agency is another step on the path to closer defence collaboration. Last June, the Danish people sent a strong message of their commitment to European security and defence. The benefits of that decision are clear. As Head of the Agency, I warmly welcome Denmark to EDA, especially at a time when the EU is opening new avenues for defence cooperation, with the joint procurement of ammunition, capability development and innovation for the future.”
Denmark’s acting Minister of Defence, Troels Lund Poulsen, said: “Europe must take greater responsibility for our own security and Denmark must participate fully in the cooperation. We are now a step closer with our membership of the European Defence Agency. The Defence Agency plays a special role in supporting the member states' cooperation and we look forward to contributing to this. The international order is changing rapidly and democratic values are under pressure. Ukraine continues to need massive support from allies, including ammunition, to resist Russian aggression.”
EDA Chief Executive, Jiří Šedivý said: “Today, the European Defence Agency becomes whole. I am delighted to welcome Denmark as a Member State of EDA following its referendum and parliamentary decision. At a time when war has returned to Europe, defence cooperation matters more than ever. Denmark can now benefit from EDA’s expertise and join projects and programmes to further its defence ambitions.”
WELCOME TO THE EUROPEAN DEFENCE AGENCYEDA supports all EU Member States in improving their defence capabilities through European cooperation. Acting as an enabler and facilitator for Ministries of Defence willing to engage in collaborative capability projects, the Agency has become the hub for European defence cooperation with expertise and networks spanning the whole spectrum of defence capabilities.
Member States use EDA as an intergovernmental expert platform where their collaborative projects are supported, facilitated, and implemented. For more details, please see here
Brussels, 20 March 2023. Eighteen states sign on Monday the European Defence Agency (EDA) project arrangement for the collaborative procurement of ammunition to aid Ukraine and replenish Member States’ national stockpiles. The project opens the way for EU Member States and Norway to proceed along two paths: a two-year, fast-track procedure for 155mm artillery rounds and a seven-year project to acquire multiple ammunition types. Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Norway have signed. More Member States have already expressed their intent to join the initiative soon following national procedures.
The ‘Collaborative Procurement of Ammunition’ project was set up in record time by EDA to answer the call to procure ammunition collectively and more quickly by aggregating, coordinating, and agreeing contracts with the European defence industry. EDA’s project provides a solid framework for Member States’ intention to jointly procure urgently needed ammunition for Ukraine. This project sends a clear message to industry and strengthens the EU’s support for Ukraine following Russia’s war of aggression.
Common procurement is the best option to achieve cost reduction from economies of scale, while allowing Member States to purchase ammunition according to their national needs and supporting Ukraine. The arrangement, which is flexible and inclusive in nature, allows all remaining EDA Member States to join the initiative at a later stage.
Head of the Agency, HRVP, Josep Borrell said: “Today, we take a step forward. We are delivering on our promises to provide Ukraine with more artillery ammunition. With today’s signature, 18 countries have signed up to aggregate orders and place them together with the industry through the European Defence Agency. The Ukrainian authorities have been clear about their needs and this EDA project is part of the EU response. By procuring together through the EDA framework and mobilising financial support from the European Peace Facility, we will deliver to Ukraine more and faster. We are again breaking a taboo and unlocking the potential of EU cooperation in joint procurement.”
FAST TRACK PROCEDURE FOR 155mm ARTILLERY ROUNDSIn the run-up to the informal meeting of the Ministers of Defence Council, which took place in Stockholm on 7 and 8 March, Head of Agency Borrell set out three complementary tracks to deliver more artillery ammunition and to deliver it more quickly: first to help Member States in sending such ammunition from national stockpiles or from pending orders; second to aggregate demand and quickly move to 155mm collaborative procurement; and third to ramp up the manufacturing capacity of the European defence industry.
EDA’s project sets out a path to meet the second track, providing a fast-track procedure, allowing for the tendering process to be simplified and contracts put into place at short notice. Member States can be reimbursed via the European Peace Facility (EPF), the EU’s off-budget instrument in support of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
SEVEN YEAR PROJECT ARRANGEMENT FOR MULTIPLE AMMUNITION TYPES AND CALIBRESEDA has been working since November 2022 on three areas for common procurement: ammunition, soldier systems and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) equipment, based on the work of the Joint Defence Task Force with Member States to identify their most critical shortfalls.
The ‘Collaborative Procurement of Ammunition’ project provides a seven-year framework for Member States to commonly procure multiple types and calibres of ammunition (5.56 mm to 155 mm) to replenish national stocks.
EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý said: “This is a significant moment in the EU’s support for Ukraine, European defence cooperation and the EDA. The availability of ammunition, as well as the associated stockpiles, are a critical shortfall which affects the readiness of Member States' armed forces and their ability to fulfil their missions while, at the same time, supporting Ukraine. EDA has created a flexible and open project which allows all Member States to join should they choose and I expect additional countries to come on board within the week. Today we have a framework for delivery – it’s now up to Member States to make use of it and for industry to be able to respond”.
EDA’S WIDER ROLEEDA supports its 26 Member States in improving their defence capabilities through European cooperation. Acting as an enabler and facilitator for Ministries of Defence willing to engage in collaborative capability projects, the Agency has become the hub for European defence cooperation with expertise and networks spanning the whole spectrum of defence capabilities.
Member States use EDA as an intergovernmental expert platform where their collaborative projects are supported, facilitated, and implemented. For more details, please see here.