Brussels, 15/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 3 October, Javier Solana appointed the directors of the four branches of the European Union Defence Agency. Major General Pierre Hougardy, who is currently commanding the Concepts and Planning Division in the Belgian Joint Staff, will now head "Capability"; the current Director of the Economic and Trade Department of the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry, Bertrand de Cordoue, who is also Chief Engineer of Armaments, becomes Director of Research and Technology; Brigadier General Carlo Magrassi, currently Deputy Chief of Aeronautical Programmes in the Italian National Directorate for Armaments, will head Armaments at the European Agency. Industry and Market will be headed by former Swedish representative for Defence Affairs to the EU and NATO, Ulf Hammarström.
Following the appointments on 30 July of the Chief Executive Nick Witney and his Deputy Hilmar Linnenkamp, these four appointments complete the appointments of the agency's directors. The agency is expected to employ a staff of around 25 people by next December and 80 during the course of 2005. (Source: Our publication Atlantic News).