Brussels, 22/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU defence ministers, meeting in Brussels on Thursday 22 March, have agreed to work together to enhance the air-to-air refuelling capabilities for military aircraft. This area is one main shortfalls highlighted by the intervention in Libya.
Defence ministers signed a political declaration which stresses the need for innovative, economical and flexible solutions on in-flight refuelling in this context of financial austerity. This project is one of the initiatives led by the European Defence Agency (EDA) to encourage countries to work together to develop their military capabilities, with the partial withdrawal of the United States from Europe. The project will see capabilities increased by 2020 through pooling existing resources (Italy and the United Kingdom are already well equipped) or the acquisition of new equipment, such as the European transport aircraft A400M by Airbus. On Thursday, too, 12 EU member states declared their intention on the establishment of Multinational Modular Medical Units, which can be deployed in theatres of conflict and in scenes of natural disaster (pooling of resuscitation, surgery and radiology materials). Other cooperation proposals are progressing with greater or less speed, such as the training of helicopter pilots, maritime surveillance and reducing the logistical costs of operations. (LC/transl.rt)