European Defence Agency seeks more cohesion in research and development and in defence procurement

European defence chiefs have delivered specific proposals to encourage investment and overcome fragmentation in an effort to deliver key technologies their armed forces will need in the future.

Speaking at a European Defence Agency (EDA) conference last week on the development of a defence technological and industrial base (DTIB), EDA head Javier Solana said the survival of an autonomous European defence industry demands radical action to create a genuine Europe-wide market.

Making markets transparent

The European Commission plans initiatives to open defence markets by introducing more transparency and competition, starting with a project to map the European defence technological and industrial base and provide accurate data on the economic situation of defence industries at European Union level. The EC also proposes a defence procurement directive that could complement the European Defence Agency's voluntary code of conduct on defence procurement and advocates a regulation on intra-EU transfers of defence equipment - which cost about €3 billion ($3.9 billion) a year.

Solana said: "None of us can any longer af­f­ord to sustain a healthy and comprehensive DTIB on a national ba­s­is. We must de­­ve­l­op greater mutual reliance on di­­­verse centres of excellence and less dependence on non-European sources for key defence technologies." He urged a shift in defence spending towards research and development and equipment procurement, as well as consolidating orders to create economies of scale.

European Commission vice-president Gunter Verheugen said: "Building a European DTIB has many facets. Much of the practical, daily work is undertaken by the EDA. Commission initiatives can also act as a catalyst in the process. But a lot will depend on the political will of the member states. The question is: for how long can the DTIB survive if Europe continues to postpone reforms that are generally accepted as unavoidable?"

Åke Svensson, president-designate of the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe, told the conference that more effort is required to develop a coherent defence strategic research agenda comparable to that developed in civil aeronautics.

"We see the need for a group of wise men to propose the agenda and conceptualise the framework in which Europe will be able to define and provide funding for important key technologies and competencies," said Svensson.

 

 




Source: Flight International