European Union

On 10 and 11 April 2018 the kick-off meeting of the OCEAN2020 project is held at the European Defence Agency (EDA). More than 70 representatives from the 42 consortium partners participate in the meeting. OCEAN2020 is the largest of the three projects selected in the 2017 call for proposals for the EU Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR).

OCEAN2020’s main objective is to support maritime surveillance and interdiction missions at sea. In this regard the project will integrate enhanced air, naval surface and underwater unmanned systems into fleet operations to build up a recognised maritime picture of developing situations for military commanders.

The project is run by a consortium led by Leonardo S.p.A, bringing together 42 partners from 15 EU countries. The total amount of the grant is €35.5 million funded by the European Union. During his opening address, Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive stressed the importance of the project to demonstrate the importance of cooperative defence research for Europe. 

The two-day meeting is dedicated to discussing programmatic and technical activities of the project. A large set of deliverables are foreseen to be prepared within six months and all the actors demonstrate a broad commitment to achieve this first milestone. The discussions are geared to consolidate a solid modus operandi in order to coordinate such a big group of experts from all over Europe and from different organisations. The second day is entirely dedicated to the presentation of the technical activities in the six work packages composing the project.

During the project two live demonstrations will be conducted in combination with operational military exercises – one in the Mediterranean sea led by the Italian navy in 2019 and one in the Baltic sea in 2020 led by the Swedish navy.
 

The Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) is funded by the European Union. The PADR activities are 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 is a concrete step aimed at assessing and demonstrating the added-value of EU supported defence research and technology (R&T). The relevant results are expected to further deepen European defence cooperation, addressing capability shortfalls, and to strengthen European defence stakeholders.

The European Commission launched the PADR with a view of developing a future European Defence Research Programme (EDRP) as part of the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027).
 

• Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) - EDA project page
• European Commission press release (16 Feb 2018) 

The 5th European Air-to-Air Refuelling Training exercise (EART 2018) kicked off today 9 April at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands. EART 2018 brings together tankers from Germany, the Netherlands, France and - for the first time - from a non-European country, the United States, for a two week training exercise ending on 20 April. 

The European Air-to-Air Refuelling Training (EART) concept was introduced in 2014 under the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) air-to-air refuelling initiative, and is run by the European Air Transport Command (EATC) from Eindhoven airbase. The exercise is supported by the host nation (the Netherlands), the Eindhoven-based Movement Coordination Centre Europe (MCCE) and EDA. 

EART is organised on a yearly basis in combination with the ‘Frisian Flag’ fighter training exercise, also organized by the Netherlands, that operates from Leeuwarden Airbase. The objective is to train air crews and engineers in planning and executing complex air-to-air refuelling (AAR) operations in a multinational and realistic COMAO (composite air operation) environment, with the overall aim of enhancing effectiveness and interoperability of forces. A particular focus is also put on facilitating the certification processes between tankers and receiver aircraft. The exercise director for EART 2018 is Colonel Andrea Massucci (Italian Air Force).

AAR is a significant force enabler and multiplier as it enhances combat effectiveness by extending the range, payload and endurance of receiver aircraft. It allows air power to be projected at greater distances or concentrated where and when it is needed mostly. “Air-to-air refueling capacity is the backbone of modern day air power. Without it, we don’t do much. Air power continuously needs fuel”, said Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Oostema, Head of Operations at Eindhoven air base. 

However, delivering a guaranteed, continuous coverage of air-to-air refueling capacity is challenging. “That’s why we need to train together. The European air-to-air refuelling Training (EART) at Eindhoven air base provides us with that unique opportunity”, Lieutenant-Colonel Oostema stressed. “For two weeks Eindhoven air base will be the tanker town of Europe”.

EDA has developed a global approach on AAR with three objectives: optimizing the use of assets, increasing the overall AAR capacity and reducing fragmentation of the fleet. This work has led to three complementary work-strands, on some of which EDA is cooperating closely with other agencies and organizations like OCCAR, the Movement Coordination Center Europe (MCCE) and the European Air Transport Command (EATC).

EART 2018 is part of the first work strand (optimization of existing capabilities), which is achieved by supporting training exercises. In this domain, EDA has also taken the lead to streamline the different certification processes leading to a clearance. By standardizing these processes the different aviation authorities can easily identify the differences between their own process and their counterpart. By working closely together, already fielded capabilities and future capabilities, can work more cost efficiently and increase their operational output.  

• Air-to-Air Refueling EDA project page
• Air-to-Air Refueling factsheet
• EATC website

Facilitating the movement of military troops and assets is essential for the security of European citizens, as identified in the November 2017 Joint Communication on improving military mobility in the EU and called for in the EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy. Today the High Representative & Head of the European Defence Agency and the European Commission announced an Action Plan on military mobility, based on the European Defence Agency’s Roadmap, identifying a series of operational measures to tackle physical, procedural or regulatory barriers which hamper military mobility. Working closely with the EU Member States and all relevant actors will be key for the implementation of this Action Plan.

“Successful EDA projects such as the EU Multimodal Transport Hub and the Diplomatic Clearances initiative for military air transport demonstrated the advantages of a coordinated European approach to military movement. What was missing was a consistent approach allowing military personnel and equipment to cross borders swiftly and smoothly. The EDA’s Roadmap formed the basis of the EU’s Action Plan, and the Agency looks forward to being one of the key actors of its implementation”, said Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive.

The Commission, the European External Action Service and the European Defence Agency will work in close coordination with the Member States for the effective implementation of these actions. They will be carried out in full respect of the sovereignty of Member States over their national territory and national decision-making processes. Coordination with efforts under the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the separate PESCO project on military mobility will equally be ensured. Cooperation and consultation with NATO on issues of military mobility will be further pursued in the framework of the implementation of the Joint Declaration to ensure coherence and synergies.

The Action Plan is submitted to the EU Member States for consideration and endorsement. The first actions are expected to be carried out in the coming months.

A first progress report on the implementation of this Action Plan will be presented to the Member States by summer 2019. 

• European Commission press release “Action Plan on military mobility: EU takes steps towards a Defence Union”
• European Commission Factsheet on Military Mobility
• Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council on the Action Plan on Military Mobility
• EDA Project on Multimodal Transport Hubs
• EDA Project on Diplomatic Clearances Technical Arrangement

For the first time ever, the EU COSME Programme is awarding grants to clusters partnering in the defence and security sector.

Two transnational defence-related cluster partnerships, whose members have been working with EDA, informed the Agency that they have started negotiation of a grant agreement in view of being awarded COSME funding under a European Commission’s call for proposals, managed by the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME):

• the “ALLIANCE” (Alliance for International Business Development of Advanced Materials and CoNnectivity for DefenCe and SEcurity Market), whose strategic and technical director is the French defence-related cluster SAFE and is coordinated by the TECHTERA (French Cluster on advanced materials and composites). Other partners are OTIR 2020 (Italian Cluster on technical textiles), CITTA STUDI (Italian Cluster on technical textiles), NIDV (Netherlands Cluster on Defense and Security), SIIT (Italian Cluster on Defense and Security), SCS (French Cluster on ICT and Cyber Security);
• the “EU KETS4DUAL-USE” (EUropean Key Enabling Technologies for Dual-Use worldwide), led by OPTITEC, French photonics & imaging cluster active in the defence sector, partnering with the Estonian Defence Industry Association, CenSec (Denmark) and Minalogic (France).

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has played a precursor and facilitating role:

• in 2016, an EDA preliminary study explored the potential of the EU COSME Programme for defence and was the first to make a clear case for defence-related clusters’ eligibility under this EU funding programme;
• since its start, this study has involved a number of clusters, included the two winning consortia, and showcased their participation on EDA’s “COSME platform”;
• the Commission’s call for proposals makes explicit reference to EDA in order to identify eligible defence clusters;
• EDA organised two matchmaking events addressing this funding opportunity in 2017; several members of the above-mentioned consortia have attended;
• EDA’s recently released “European Funding Gateway” lists COSME grants as opportunities for the defence sector.

• European Funding Gateway for Defence
• COSME platform
• Industry portal

Registration for the upcoming Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) Info & Brokerage Day 2018, scheduled to take place in Brussels on 12 April 2018, is now open HERE.  

Representatives from industry, research entities and other defence stakeholders interested in receiving detailed information related to the recently published 2018 PADR calls for proposals, and in networking with potential consortia partners have until 5 April 2018 (5pm Brussels time) to register.

EDA and Commission experts will provide attendants with first-hand explanations on the 2018 PADR topics as well as the rules and conditions for participation in the calls for proposals. Furthermore, in the afternoon, a brokerage session with b2b meetings will allow participants to exchange views with potential future consortia partners.

Details about the calls and participation conditions can be found here.

The Preparatory Action on Defence Research is funded by the European Union.

• 2018 Calls for proposals on Preparatory Action on Defence Research published - Info & Brokerage Day on 12 April (EDA webnews, 15 March 2018)
• Preparatory Action on Defence Research (EDA project page)
• PADR Info & Brokerage Day (EDA event page)
• European Commission financial decision on PADR 2018 

The European Defence Agency (EDA) today, 15 March, published the three 2018 calls for proposals for the EU’s Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR).

The work programme includes 3 topics:

• European high-performance, trustable (re)configurable system-on-a-chip or system-in-package components for defence applications;
• European high power laser effector;
• Strategic technology foresight, tackling the issue of the critical defence technological dependencies for the EU.

Details about the calls and participation conditions can be found here. 

The Preparatory Action on Defence Research is funded by the European Union. On 9 March 2018, the European Commission adopted the decision on the “work programme for 2018 and on the financing of the 'Preparatory action on Defence research', and authorising the use of unit costs under the preparatory action ”.

After a first successful edition in 2017, EDA and the European Commission will organise a second Information Day & Brokerage Event on the PADR on 12 April 2018 in Brussels. 

Registration will be possible via this webpage as of 21 March 2018.

The event aims at providing industry, research entities and other interested defence stakeholders with first-hand information on the 2018 PADR calls for proposals published on 15 March 2018.

EDA and Commission experts will provide attendants with detailed explanations on the 2018 PADR topics as well as the rules and conditions for participation in the calls for proposals. Furthermore, in the afternoon, a brokerage session with b2b meetings will allow participants to exchange views with potential future consortia partners. 

• Preparatory Action on Defence Research (EDA project page)
• PADR Info & Brokerage Day (EDA event page)
• European Commission financial decision on PADR 2018 

The European Defence Agency supports the first Central and Eastern European (CEE) Armaments Cooperation Course which takes place in Prague from 13-16 March 2018, gathering some 30 delegates from 10 CEE Member States. Sponsored and led by the Czech Republic and delivered by Cranfield University’s Centre for Defence Acquisition, the course will strengthen the practical skills of staff from CEE Ministries of Defence (MoDs) and related agencies in defence procurement procedures, with an emphasis on multinational collaboration.

The 2013 European Council stressed the need for a balanced access to defence industry in Europe, as a result of which EDA conducted an internal analysis of the specificities of the CEE countries’ defence industries and commissioned a study from RAND Europe to better understand  the barriers to defence cooperation across Europe. The study identified several areas of concern and noted that the CEE countries face a common challenge in accessing the skills needed to pursue defence collaboration opportunities, with identified shortfalls in areas such as project and programme management, marketing and networking, market intelligence and business planning.

The course represents a tangible and tailor-made opportunity for CEE Member States to improve their capacity in all these areas . It comes at a time of transformational change across the European defence landscape with the advent of several new initiatives such as the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), Permanent Structure Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF). It will serve as a springboard for the CEE countries to participate more effectively in collaboration efforts and will underpin an alumni network that will provide on-going advice on best practice and longer term networking opportunities.

The course is designed for military and civilian officials working on defence acquisition issues.
 

• EDA education and exercise programme (video)

Agustín Conde Bajén, Secretary of State for Defence of Spain, met with Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA) today. Discussions focused on EU defence initiatives as well as Spain’s current and potential future contributions to EDA projects and programmes.

During the meeting with the Secretary of State, discussions included the general state of play of the Implementation Plan on Security and Defence of the EU Global Strategy including the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation on security and defence (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund, with focus of the discussions on EDA's role in all three initiatives.

State Secretary Conde and Chief Executive Domecq also exchanged views on EDA’s further development in view of the long-term review (LTR) and discussed Spain’s involvement in ongoing EDA projects and activities with focus on the EDA GovSatCom programme where Spain has a leading role. The State Secretary was also briefed on EDA’s support to Member States in the framework of SES/SESAR.

Spain, as the Secretary of State underlined, supports the principles of action of EDA and promotes collaboration with other Member States to improve defence capabilities. Mr. Conde pointed out that “the EDA is the framework provided by the EU for those Member States willing to develop common military capabilities, while acting at the same time as the key enabler in the development of the capabilities required to support the CSDP of the EU”.

The Secretary of State for Defence emphasised “the enormous interest of Spain and of its defence industry in the initiatives promoted by the EDA”. Mr Conde appreciated “the essential impulse provided by this Agency to the process of construction of a real Common Security and Defence Policy”.

Jorge Domecq thanked the State Secretary for his visit and Spain’s involvement in the Agency’s activities. “The EDA GovSatCom programme has made good progress over the last years, due in no small part to Spain’s engaged role as lead nation. I am looking forward to the next step in the programme, which will be the signing of the GovSatCom Pooling & Sharing Demonstration project arrangement before the summer”, said Jorge Domecq.

The July 2016 EU-NATO Joint Declaration focused on 7 areas of cooperation and set out 42 actions for implementation. In December 2017, the EU and NATO agreed to an additional 34 new actions, with the third Progress Report assessing the implementation of the 76 actions expected in June 2018.  Activities in the area of cyber security and cyber defence are an important element of EU-NATO cooperation, of which a key objective is to ensure coherence and complementarity between EU and NATO efforts and to avoid duplication.

In this context, Antonio Missiroli, Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO, visited the European Defence Agency on 8 March for first time after his appointment, as part of ongoing high level and staff to staff cooperation, where he met with EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq.

The two discussed recent developments on EU and NATO on areas of common interest, and the impact of emerging security challenges on the activities of the two organisations. They focused in particular on ongoing efforts in cyber defence, a key chapter of EU-NATO cooperation, including on training and exercises as well on research & technology. 

“EU-NATO competition is a thing of the past,” said EDA Chief Domecq. “A stronger European Union is a stronger NATO, and I am grateful to ASG Missiroli for an engaging discussion on areas of common interest such cyber, which I am confident will yield concrete results and lead to closer EU-NATO cooperation.” 

Merle Maigre, Director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, visited the European Defence Agency today for a meeting with EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq.
 

Merle Maigre (Director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence), Jorge Domecq (Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency)

 
Ms Maigre and Mr Domecq discussed cyber defence and the EDA Chief briefed the CCDCOE Director on recent development in EU cyber defence, notably on the launch last month of the Cyber Defence Education, Training, Exercise & Evaluation Platform,  led by the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) and building on the support already provided by the European Defence Agency (EDA), the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission. EDA played an important role in developing the design proposal of this platform, following the results of a relevant feasibility study which were properly adapted to the actual Member States’ needs.

The EDA Chief Executive declared “Improving our cyber defence is a challenge for the EU, NATO and their Member States. Cooperation between EDA, NATO and the CCDCOE must continue to deliver the best possible training and exercises to our Member States.” 

“In the coming days, CCDCOE and EDA will celebrate five years of formal cooperation. On this occasion I would like to recognize the tangible results we have achieved together in training European cyber defenders, from international law lectures to operational issues, from strategic level cyber defence exercises to the world’s biggest international technical exercises,” said Merle Maigre, Director of NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.

EDA is committed to equality, one of the fundamental values on which the European Union is built. This includes equality of opportunity and treatment and zero tolerance towards all forms of harassment, including sexual harassment and any form of gender-based violence in the workplace. 

EDA achieves its mission through the contribution of its diverse workforce, men and women, civilian and military, from different national and cultural backgrounds and tolerates no discrimination on the grounds of age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, sex or sexual orientation disability, marital status or family situation.

Steven Vandeput, the Defence Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium, visited the European Defence Agency today where he was welcomed by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq.

A wide range of topics related to European defence cooperation were discussed, including the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the European Defence Fund (EDF) as well as the update of the Capability Development Plan (CDP).

Belgium’s role and participation in EDA projects were also discussed during the visit. Minister Vandeput was presented with detailed updates on a range of ongoing projects including on the development of new generation of Maritime Mine Countermeasures as well as on collaborative training for RPAS operators of which one participating training site is in Florennes, Belgium.

Minister Vandeput underlined the important role of the EDA in support of its Member States: “I believe that EDA is actively supporting its Member States in the development of military capabilities that are needed to bolster Europe’s defences. Belgium is happy to cooperate with the EDA where it can.”

EDA Chief Jorge Domecq thanked Minister Vandeput for his visit and Belgium’s involvement in the Agency’s activities. “With Belgium actively participating in a wide range of defence cooperation projects and activities, through the EDA or in other bi- and multinational fora, it demonstrates that it firmly believes that today’s defence and security challenges cannot be tackled in isolation”, said Jorge Domecq.  

Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA) and Alexander Stubb, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation between the two institutions.

The European Council of 19 October 2017 encouraged the EIB to examine further steps with a view to supporting investments in defence research and development activities. As a response, the EIB recently approved the European Security Initiative - Protect, Secure, Defend, strengthening its support for RDI for dual-use technologies, cybersecurity and civilian security infrastructure. Today the EIB and EDA teamed up to support EU policy objectives, in particular as regards the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The cooperation between the two entities materialises as major European initiatives supporting the EU level of ambition in the area of security and defence are launched, including a European Defence Fund.

As a first step, EDA and the EIB envisage cooperation in the Cooperative Financial Mechanism (CFM). The CFM is foreseen as a mechanism for EDA Member States to financially support the set up and conduct of the development of military technology. The EIB role in the CFM would focus on supporting the development of dual use technologies. Additionally, the two organisations agreed to exchange expertise, in particular with a view to identify possible financing opportunities for defence and security-related Research and Technology projects in support of EDA participating Member States. EDA stands ready to support the EIB in identifying projects, that are potentially eligible for its assistance; this could include both projects promoted by the Member States, such as those in the context of the recently launched Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), as well as projects promoted by companies including Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the defence and security sector. 

“European security and defence is high on the agenda of decision-makers and citizens alike. EDA and EIB have complementary expertise and are natural partners. The Agency will support the EIB in the identification and assessment of projects as well as by putting its defence expertise at the service of the Bank”, said Jorge Domecq. 

“Under the European Security Initiative - Protect, Secure, Defend, the EIB is ready to step up its support to the security and defence sector. In line with our mission, we look forward to supporting in particular investment projects that target dual-use technologies, which can be commercialised also in civilian applications”, said EIB Vice-President Alexander Stubb. “Today’s cooperation agreement is welcome news for Europe’s security as it will help the European Defence Agency and the European Investment Bank to better contribute to EU policy goals”. 

The Cooperative Financial Mechanism (CFM) will play an important role in easing the launch phase of cooperative projects. Designed to support any type of collaborative efforts, in the R&T, R&D or acquisition phase, its support will include access to funding, a well-known shortfall hampering cooperative efforts, as well as the reduction of bureaucracy. It will result in an increased quality of public expenditures. 

The Mechanism, developed as an EDA ad hoc Category A programme, is voluntary. Member States decide if they wish to participate, contribute and support projects. 

Once negotiations on the Programme Arrangement are finalised, the CFM is likely to be based on two pillars. In the first, intergovernmental, Member States will have the opportunity to mutually support via a system of reimbursable advances and deferred payments. In the second, the European Investment Bank will act as the sole lender, supporting dual use projects in line with its policies. This will enable an increased support from EIB to the security and defence agenda, an objective underlined several times by the European Council. 

• European Investment Bank