The ambassadors of the Member States to the EU approved, on Wednesday 29 June, the establishment and mandate of the ad hoc Working Party on defence industry.
This Working Party is in line with the ‘Strategic Compass’ (see EUROPE 12941/8), which provides for the strengthening of the European defence technological and industrial base throughout the Union. Thus, according to the mandate seen by EUROPE, the Working Party, which will be under the authority of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), will focus on emergency measures to coordinate very short-term defence procurement needs in order to support joint procurement. It will help to map the EU’s current manufacturing and production capabilities.
This Working Party will also draw on the other EU Council bodies in the field of the Common Security and Defence Policy (PSC, the Politico-Military Group, the Military Committee) or the Ecofin and Competitiveness configurations (Financial Advisory Group, Fiscal Board for Questions and Competitiveness and Growth Group), or on the work of the Working Party on Joint Defence Procurement. The European Defence Agency (EDA) will also be invited to contribute to the work of the ad hoc Working Party.
The Working Party will report to Coreper in preparation for the work of the EU Council’s Foreign Affairs and Competitiveness configurations.
To view the mandate: https://aeur.eu/f/2g1 (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)