What we do BG

EU POLICIES

EDA acts as the military voice and interface for a broad selection of EU policies which have an impact on the military and Ministries of Defence. EDA works to ensure that the interests of the defence community are conveyed to all EU bodies in order to maximise potential synergies and make the best use of existing instruments.

 

Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) 

The aim of the European Commission’s Single European Sky (SES) initiative is to optimise today’s airspace organisation and management through a combination of technological, economic and regulatory efforts. Technical aspects of the legislation are coordinated and run by the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme.  

Military aircraft fleets form the single biggest ‘airline’ operating in European airspace. Considering the need to coordinate the various activities already conducted by the military in SESAR, and in order to facilitate the establishment of a coordinated position of the defence community in Europe, EDA supports and facilitates the SES/SESAR Military Implementation Forum, a venue where issues of mutual interest are debated between relevant stakeholders. 

EDA supports the Member States in identifying operational and financial consequences as well as opportunities that SESAR may bring to European air forces. The Agency also provides support to the European Commission and activities of the SESAR Joint Undertaking in this context. In addition, it facilitates the interaction between NATO and the SESAR Joint Undertaking to ensure mutual reinforcement at technical level. To fulfill this role, the EDA has established the SESAR Cell, which will support Member States in SESAR deployment and increase coordination among Ministries of Defence. 

More information on our work in Single European Sky.

REACH  

The Agency supports Member States on defence related issues regarding the European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). The Agency’s tasks include building a common understanding of REACH and exchanging best practices. The Agency supports Member States in identifying the general impact of REACH in defence and in assessing measures to mitigate such impact. In parallel, the Agency liaises with and seeks input from industrial stakeholders on REACH issues. 

Finally, EDA supports Member States by conveying their common and consolidated views to key REACH stakeholders, notably the Commission and European Chemicals Agency, and by bringing defence specificities to their attention.

Circular economy  

EDA leads the work on transposing the EU policy on Circular Economy into the defence sector.  

Since October 2021 EDA is running an Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED). Its objective is to apply to the European Defence the 2020 Commission’s EU Green Deal approach to Circular Economy, by engaging a cooperative community: e.g. EU Ministries of Defence, industry, institutes, research centres, financial institutions, academia, pertinent public bodies at national and international level.  

 

Energy & Environment  

EDA’s work in energy and environment is led by the Energy and Environment Working Group (EnE WG). This group supports the participating Member States collective journey towards increasing the resilience of Ministries of Defence, Armed Forces and Defence technological and industrial sector to existing and emerging vulnerabilities resulting from strategic considerations concerning energy security and dependence on fossil fuels, resources security of supply, water security, and environmental change.  

EDA also manages the consultation forum for sustainable energy in the defence and security sector (CF SEDSS) on behalf of the European Commission, which assists European Union Ministries of Defence to move towards green, resilient, and efficient energy models. 

EU Defence Funding 

The Agency also works towards maximising dual-use synergies in R&T and supports the European defence industry in accessing relevant EU funding mechanisms. More on EDA’s work in this area can be found on the EU Funding page. 

EU Defence Procurement/Transfers

EDA monitors European policy and regulatory developments related to defence procurement, including on Directive 2009/81/EC on defence and security procurement, and keeps its Member States informed about them. Together with its Member States and in close cooperation with the European Commission, EDA supports and incentivises cooperative defence procurement programs/projects, based on a case-by-case assessment. EDA also regularly updates its Member States on developments concerning defence transfers, including at EU-level, and raises awareness on aspects related to the implementation of Directive 2009/43/EC on the transfers of defence-related products within the EU. 

The Vademecum of Member States' Defence Procurement Practices summarizes the regulations, rules and procedures of a number of EDA participating Member States and Norway.