The European Defence Agency (EDA) organised today, in Berlin, a Seminar on European Aerial Capabilities, which gathered government and industry representatives to discuss how Europe’s military aeronautics sector will preserve the capability to provide the aerial capacities Member States’ forces require in future with reduced research & technology investment and constrained procurement budgets.
The seminar took place in the context of the Agency’s task, given by Defence Ministers, of identifying those key industrial capabilities to preserve or to develop in Europe.
Carlo Magrassi, EDA’s Deputy Chief Executive (Strategy), said “We have made progress. We are creating a European approach to the Defence Technological and Industrial Base (DTIB) - one that recognises that it is more than a disparate range of national capacities.” Magrassi highlighted that Europe’s Military Aerospace Industry, which represents over 55% of Europe’s DTIB, is critical to meet Member States' military requirements, but is unlikely to be sustained without transformational action and new ways of business. He concluded by saying that “European collaboration must be an important part of the solution”.
In this half day seminar, the moderator Arturo Alfonso-Meiriño, EDA’s Industry & Market Director, stressed that the Lisbon Treaty sets out the Agency’s important role in “identifying and implementing any useful measure for strengthening the industrial and technological base and improving the effectiveness of military expenditure”.
Several experts from the European Defence Agency presented current EDA ongoing projects. The Capability Planning Process, Measures on the Technological and Industrial Base for Future Air Systems, Key Industrial Capabilities, the European Air Transport Fleet, Challenges of Unmanned Aarial Vehicles Air Traffic Insertion, Unmanned Aerial Systems and the European Framework Cooperation, were some of the topics addressed by EDA staff, who underlined the potential for the maximisation of capabilities through innovative solutions.
Dr. Georges Bridel, from EADS Military Aircraft, shared with the audience the industry points of view on a competitive industrial base for aerial capabilities in future.
The Seminar contributed to the mandate from the EDA Steering Board to engage in a dialogue with stakeholders on collaborative policies, plans and programmes which could assist European decision makers in safeguarding European industry’s ability to competitively respond to future military capabilities requirements.