Interview with Jiří Šedivý, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), Brussels
Hartmut Bühl: Mr Šedivý, EU governance is complex, especially when it comes to security and defence. Is there a shared understanding in the European Union (EU) institutions of the strategic priorities for a European security and defence architecture?
Jiří Šedivý: Yes, there is a committed community working together on the governance and architecture of defence cooperation in Europe. It may seem complex, but there is a clear division of labour, from NATO as the cornerstone of our collective defence through to the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The European Commission, via the EU budget, runs the European Defence Fund (EDF), which supports collaborative defence research and the competitiveness of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). An example of how we work together is EDA’s role in managing several EDF projects, such as a €20mn research initiative involving Leonardo and 11 Member States. It is about developing advanced radar technology in Europe for our armed forces.
H. Bühl: How will the Commission’s upcoming European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) fit in to this existing structure?
J. Šedivý: EDIS could be – as the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said at the EDA’s 2023 annual conference – a game-changer for competitiveness and a contribution to the ramping-up of the European defence industry.
H. Bühl: There is an overlap of the EU’s Strategic Compass with NATO’s Strategic Concept in many fields. How do you manage to use common conceptual approaches to strengthen relationships and reinforce European defence?
J. Šedivý: We have a single set of forces, for NATO, for EU defence cooperation and missions, the United Nations and for national roles. At EDA we respect coherence with NATO. Once Sweden joins NATO, 22 EU Member States will also be NATO allies. When the Strategic Compass was defined and when we worked on the revision of the Capability Development Plan (CDP) – of which the 2023 Capability Development Priorities are the most tangible outcome – we at EDA factored in NATO’s Political Guidance. That guidance is part of the planning cycle of the NATO Defence Policy and Planning (NDPP) process. NATO, EDA and our partners in the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) see ever more clearly the need to work towards the same goal: the readiness of our forces for a wide spectrum of operational scenarios.
H. Bühl: What about gaps in EU Member States?
J. Šedivý: We want to help countries deal with gaps and make improvements, as NATO does. Both NATO and the CDP seek to support the military by agreeing on collective operational requirements, but the CDP also focuses on long-term trends, future technologies and lessons learned from operations, including those observed from the war in Ukraine. So, we are reinforcing the defence of Europe, and we must be prepared for a time when the United States might be engaged elsewhere.
H. Bühl: How has EDA developed since its foundation in 2004 and what has the war in Ukraine changed for the agency?
J. Šedivý: EDA is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. So, our new efforts are building on solid foundations. EU Member States can no longer afford the luxury of duplication or working in isolation. Look how Denmark, for instance, joined EDA in March 2023. After Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we see that EDA is more relevant than ever.
H. Bühl: Can you give an example?
J. Šedivý: An example is the joint procurement of 155mm ammunition. Seven EU Member States have placed orders with European industry through EDA’s fast-track joint procurement scheme for 155mm ammunition. We have a menu of 60 framework contracts, negotiated in just a few months by EDA, which allow Member States to place their orders jointly. This is for deliveries in 2024 and 2025, potentially totalling up to €1.5bn.
H. Bühl: This means that EDA today is an agency with permanent activities?
J. Šedivý: Yes, indeed. EDA has grown from a purely project-based organisation to one with permanent activities such as the management of the EU’s defence review CARD, Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and EDF projects. Consider our EDA Helicopter Training Programme, transferred in January 2024 to Portugal. Between 2009 and 2023, EDA exercises deployed over 340 helicopters, 2,325 aircrew and over 15,000 military personnel. 1,050 aircrew from 20 different countries have graduated from the EDA Helicopter Tactics Course.
H. Bühl: Besides EU Member States, who can participate in EDA activities?
J. Šedivý: A pre-requisite for third parties to take part in EDA projects and programmes are so-called Administrative Arrangements (AA). We have AAs with the US, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia and Ukraine as well as the European Space Agency (ESA) and OCCAR. Cooperation with third parties in the EDA framework translates into tangible collaborative activities, contributing to Member States’ defence capability development and EU objectives in security and defence.
H. Bühl: The EDTIB is seen as cornerstone for defence capabilities and securing a certain strategic autonomy, at least in some fields. Has the establishment of defence initiatives at EU-level been a success and what initiatives have been launched?
J. Šedivý: EDA plays an important support and implementation role in all EU defence initiatives. Tools such as the CDP, CARD, PESCO and EDF are designed to raise the EU’s level of ambition. CARD was launched by Member States in May 2017; PESCO was established in December 2017 and currently 68 PESCO projects are under development. The EDF has an €8bn budget for the 2021-2027 period. In the 2023 programme, the fund is providing €1.2bn for defence research, development and innovation through its calls for proposals.
H. Bühl: And why has EDA called for greater access to financing for the EDTIB?
J. Šedivý: Because EDA is part of high-level efforts to raise awareness about the need to support defence companies, while respecting Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria. Without security, we cannot have sustainability.
H. Bühl: That brings me to the key issue of green defence. How is EDA involved in the EU’s actions to combat climate change?
J. Šedivý: EDA and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy (DG ENER), as well as NATO, are all participating in efforts to develop green defence and involve the military in the EU’s actions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We are developing energy sector engagement for defence. The Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) is a European Commission initiative managed by EDA to help EU ministries of defence move towards green, resilient, and efficient energy models. EDA is also delivering greater circularity in European defence through the Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IFCEED).
H. Bühl: In her speech to EDA in November 2023, Commission President von der Leyen asked you to identify flagship capabilities of common interest at European level. What are the areas of such capabilities?
J. Šedivý: The 2023 EU Capability Development Priorities developed by EDA with the EUMS reflect the changes in the EU’s strategic environment, political guidance provided by the Strategic Compass and lessons learned from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Capabilities cover a broad operational perspective. Let me name a few: full spectrum cyber defence operations capabilities, ground combat capabilities, future soldier systems, air combat platforms and weapons, space operations and services and underwater and seabed warfare capabilities, as well as strategic enablers such as Electro Magnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) dominance, military mobility and logistics.
H. Bühl: Thank-you Mr Šedivý for this conversation. My congratulations for the dynamism and progress of your agency over the last three years.
