The European Defence Agency welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament on 14 January 2009 of a new Directive on Defence and Security Procurement on which contracting opportunities are advertised. Governments have so far published around 400 contract opportunities based on open competition worth more than €10 billion.
Both Directive and Code of Conduct are key instruments in the shaping of a more effective EDEM and a stronger European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB).
The European Defence Agency (EDA) was established by the Council on 12 July 2004. It is designed "to support the Council and the Member States in their effort to improve European defence capabilities in the field of crisis management and to sustain the ESDP as it stands now and develops in the future". More specifically, the Agency is ascribed four functions, relating to:
a) defence capabilities development;
b) armaments cooperation;
c) the European defence technological and industrial base and defence equipment market;
d) research and technology.
These functions all relate to improving Europe's defence performance, by promoting coherence in place of fragmentation.
The EDA is an Agency of the European Union. High Representative Solana is Head of the Agency, chairman of the Steering Board, which acts under the Council's authority and within the framework of guidelines issued by the Council.