23 February 2012 to 23 February 2012
Brussels BELGIUM
07:00 - 14:00

A Stakeholders’ Workshop in the framework of the EDA Study “Non-EU Dependencies on Ammunition” will be held on 23rd February 2012, at EDA premises, in Brussels.

The study team is composed of major European defence companies NEXTER (France), MBDA (France), EXPAL (Spain), BAE SYSTEMS Bofors (Sweden), Diehl BGT-Defence (Germany), under the lead of Rheinmetall Waffe Munition (Germany).

The workshop is dedicated to experts from procurement environment, from test and qualification authorities, from the Ministries of Defence and from the military users of the EDA Member States. Stakeholders from academia, especially research facilities involved with/ interested in ammunition are also welcomed.

Background information

One of the essential characteristics of a strong European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) mentioned in the Strategy for the EDTIB (14 May 2007, SB in MoDs) is less European dependence on non-European sources for key defence technologies. Ammunition was one of the selected areas by EDA’s participating Member States (pMS) to be used as a pilot working within the roadmap of Key Industrial Capabilities of the EDTIB Strategy.

The outcome of the discussion in the pMS Ammunition experts working group and confirmed by industry representatives was that non-EU dependencies is one of the prioritized topics for action at a European level.

This workshop aims at exchanging/confirming information on identified and/or potential non-EU dependencies in the field of ammunition.

From its industrial experience and supported by ELDIG’s corporate members, the study team is undertaking a systematic breakdown of Non-EU dependencies for the munitions
domain which covers not only munitions types but the complete industrial range.

This includes Non-EU dependencies in the fields of R&T, R&D, Testing & Qualification and transversal issues related to man power, skills, facilities, market conditions and the regulatory framework of the munitions domain.

In order to present to the EDA and the pMS the complete picture of Ammunition-related Non-EU dependencies, it is important for the study team from industry, to verify its appreciation of the situation and statements with the perception of the other key stakeholders, namely the military users and the procurement structures that provide for them.

The workshop is therefore not structured as a conference with a set of presentations but as an open exchange forum.

The study team will outline the first set of findings to the other stakeholders and shortly familiarize them with the baseline analyses.

Following this explanations, the study team would appreciate the stakeholders’ opinions and inputs as well as their comments on the work already done in the study framework.

Based upon the stakeholders’ reactions and inputs the study team will then adjust its own work accordingly before presenting the final study results at the end of
March 2012 to the EDA and the pMS.