On 21 February 2024, national defence representatives from the 15 participating Member States met for the first time under the second phase of EDA’s Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED 2), taking place from 2023 to 2027.
Coming together in nine incubation groups (project circles), participants addressed the implementation of project ideas so far incubated by about 300 experts from national Ministries of Defence, industry, research and technology organisations, academia, and other private and public institutions, including potential defence-specific funding options. The next steps entail identifying Member States’ joint interests and contributions, aiming at a formal agreement for the project’s implementation.
The same format convenes in conjunction with the IF CEED 3rd General Conference taking place in Brussels from 28 to 29 May 2024. Under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the conference benefits from the collaboration with the European Commission’s DG Environment (DG ENV), the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) – a joint initiative of the EESC and DG ENV – and the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD). Plenary roundtables and expert sessions provide a platform to discuss circular economy and strategic autonomy, environmental and social indicators for circular practices, and data as an enabler for circularity.
For more details, please see here.