EDA Annual Conference 2022
Investing in European Defence
Thursday, December 08, 2022
| 09:30 | Welcome address Jiří Šedivý, Chief Executive, European Defence Agency |
| 09:35 |
Opening speech Josep Borrell Fontelles, Head of the European Defence Agency, High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission |
| 10:00 | Ministerial Panel: Investing in European defence - opportunities and limitations Russia’s war in Ukraine has forced the European Union to address longstanding strategic challenges, including in the defence domain. In the Versailles declaration of March 2022, Heads of State and Government agreed to “resolutely invest more and better in defence capabilities and innovative technologies”. Especially the idea of jointly procuring urgently needed defence capabilities has gained traction since then. In this high-level panel, Ministers of Defence will discuss what has happened since March and where they see limitations in collaborative defence projects.
Moderator: Jiří Šedivý, Chief Executive, European Defence Agency |
| 11:00 |
Coffee break |
| 11:30 |
Spotlight on: Transatlantic relations in a new security environment Conversation between Julianne Smith, US Ambassador to NATO and Jiří Šedivý, Chief Executive, European Defence Agency. |
| 11:45 | Keynote Speech Major General Karel Řehka, Chief of Defence, Czech Republic |
| 12:00 | Panel 1: Develop, procure, operate: Joint capability development in a European context The benefits of joint development are well known from enhanced interoperability, cost efficiencies and access to high-end capabilities. However, in 2020 EDA Member States conducted just 11% of their total equipment procurement in cooperation with other countries. This panel debate will discuss if Europe has a joint capability problem, can it be overcome and address whether developing, procuring, and operating together is still the primary aspiration of European defence. Stacy A. Cummings, General Manager, NSPA Moderator: Olli Ruutu, Deputy Chief Executive, European Defence Agency |
| 13:00 |
Lunch break |
| 14:30 | EDA Defence Innovation Prize 2022 Presented by Jean-François Ripoche, Director Research, Technology and Innovation, European Defence Agency and Holger Krag, Head of ESA Space Safety Programme, European Space Agency |
| 14:45 | Panel 2: European strategic autonomy vs. defence industrial gaps - how far is the divide between ambition and reality? Years of post-financial crisis underspending in defence has led to a decline in capability orders and consequently also in European industrial capacity. In the current geopolitical climate, Member States face the dual challenges of restocking military material provided to support Ukraine and an interrupted global supply chain. With new and often sharp increases in defence budgets raising opportunities for joint procurement and new orders, can the European defence industry bridge ambition and reality. Representatives of European defence industries discuss in this panel strategies put in place to satisfy the increased demand and what to learn from the current crisis. Pablo Gonzalez, Director NATO and EU Defence & Space, Indra Moderator: Pieter Taal, Head of Unit Industry Strategy and EU Policies, European Defence Agency
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| 15:50 |
Closing remarks Jiří Šedivý, Chief Executive, European Defence Agency |
