Brussels, 17/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - Meeting on Tuesday 17 November, ministers of countries participating in the European Defence Agency (EDA) approved the helicopter pilot training programme whose aim it is to increase the number of pilots able to intervene during crisis management operations. The programme will start in 2010 and run for two years. Each year, there will be two exercises and one seminar. The first exercise will be located in Spain in June 2010, and Luxembourg has stated it is willing to organise the first seminar. Ministers also nudged along the establishment of transparent competition rules on the European defence market by adopting a political declaration which entrusts the EDA with the task of examining, with member states, the factors that hinder the existence of an equitable defence equipment market. Fourteen member states (Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Spain) have signed a letter of intent on the European airlift fleet. The project, launched by 12 member states within the EDA framework last November, aims to meet the needs of EU strategic airlift (theatre of operations), allowing transport aircraft to be shared between member states but also allowing flight hours to be exchanged, bought or sold. The Council also approved the EDA's €31 million budget for 2010 (€8.4 million for the operational budget and €22.7 million for the functional budget). (A.By./transl.jl)