EU defence ministers agree on mutual Military aid in emergencies
Pastor Dale Morgan
Thursday September 21, 2:39 AM
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EU defence ministers agree on mutual Military aid in emergencies*
EU defence ministers announced a groundbreaking agreement to do
everything possible to provide equipment to member nations in times of
armed conflict or other emergency situations.
Twenty two members of the European Defence Agency (EDA) agreed to "do
everything possible, consistent with national law and international
obligations" to assist and expedite each others' defence requirements,
"particularly in circumstances of pressing operational urgency."
They also agreed rules governing the security of classified information
relating to defence procurement.
"This is a very important step for the governments to ensure they can
buy from defence suppliers across Europe, on the basis of fair
competition, with full confidence," said EDA spokeswoman Malgorzata
Alterman.
The signatories comprised all EU states except Denmark, which is not an
EDA member, and Spain and Hungary which have not signed the relevant
code of conduct.
The organisation, established to improve European defence capabilities,
stated that "if in times of emergency, crisis or armed conflict" one or
more member states requests defence goods or services the others "will
engage in immediate consultation... based on the principles of
cooperation and solidarity."
The aim is for the military need to be met "as expeditiously as
possible," said a statement by the EDA's steering board, made up of
national defence ministers and chaired by Eero Lavonen on behalf of the
head of the agency, Javier Solana.
A participating country is asked to "acknowledge and consider urgently
and sympathetically any request for provision of defence goods, mainly
on a re-imbursement basis, from its own stocks."
The steering board, which met here Wednesday at the level of national
armaments directors, heard that pressure on European defence budgets and
the continuing fragmentation of both demand and supply sides of the
European market meant that defence industries faced a challenging future.