EU Defence Ministers, meeting as the Steering Board of the European Defence Agency, agreed on the objectives and methods for achieving a better collective performance from national defence R and T budgets. This further strengthens the foundations of European defence, following the adoption last May of a Strategy for Europe's Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB).

"Investing in the right technology is critical for the future of European defence and the Strategy is exactly in line with the absolute requirement for us to spend more, spend better and spend more together," said Javier Solana, the Head of the EDA, who chaired the meeting.

"Thanks to a great deal of work by the Agency and our Member States, we can now see clearly what needs to be done and how we are going to do it," he added.

Within this framework Member States will define what technological and industrial capabilities they want to develop and strengthen in Europe by their R and T investments and how these investments can be harmonised and provide the best equipment for the armed forces to fulfil their crisis-management missions under the European Security and Defence Policy.

The framework lays out both the "Ends" for the strategy - for example, preparing a list of key technologies to invest in - as well as the "Means" to deliver them, such as different forms of collaboration, technology watch and coordination with other European R and T organisations. The Agency was tasked to report on progress, including the list of technologies in spring 2008.

In a further effort to improve overall EU performance on defence, ministers approved four benchmarks to increase investment for future needs and to encourage collaborative spending:

- Equipment procurement (incl. R and D/R and T): 20% of defence spending (currently 19.4%)
- European collaborative equipment procurement: 35% of equipment procurement expenditure (currently 21%)
- Defence R and T: 2% of defence spending (currently 1.2%)
- European collaborative defence R and T: 20% of defence R and T expenditure (currently 10%)

"These are collective benchmarks - applying to the combined spending of all of the Agency's 26 participating Member States - and they are voluntary," Solana said. "But annual monitoring by the Agency will support the Member States' efforts to transform Europe's armed forces together."

On other matters, the Steering Board approved the Agency's work programme and budget for 2008. The budget of EUR32 million, compared with EUR22 in 2007, includes EUR6 million earmarked for work on Unmanned Air Vehicles which can be spent only after a further decision by the Steering Board.

The work programme adds a long-term strategy to boost the number of cooperative programmes on Armaments to the existing strategies for Capabilities Development, the EDTIB and R and T. Major initiatives include looking for new Joint Investment Programmes in defence R and T, using the model pioneered this year for Force Protection, and further work on a more open and competitive European Defence Equipment Market.

"Today's decisions have put in place further building blocks for our common work of making Europe's armed forces and military budgets fit for the challenges of the 21st century which we must face together," said Alexander Weis, attending his first ministerial Steering Board since taking over as EDA Chief Executive.

"Approval of the R and T strategy, benchmarks, work programme and budget show the confidence of Member States in our agenda and we look forward to working with them to deliver on it," he added.

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