The European Defence Agency (EDA) is an agency of the European Union based in Brussels. It is a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) body set up on 12 July 2004, reporting to the Council of the European Union. The EDA serves all European Union member states except Denmark, which has an opt-out of issues relating to defence.[2]
Tasks
The Council established the EDA "to support the Member States and the Council in their effort to improve European defence capabilities in the field of crisis management and to sustain the European Security and Defence Policy as it stands now and develops in the future”. Within that overall mission are four functions[3];
- Developing defence capabilities.
- Promoting defence research and technology.
- Promoting armaments co-operation.
- Creating a competitive European defence equipment market and strengthening the European defence, technological and industrial base.
Structure
Javier Solana is the head of EDA
The body has a legal personality and is governed primarily by three elements[4].
- Head of the Agency: Responsible for overall organisation and functioning, ensures implementation of guidelines and decisions, chairs ministerial meetings of Steering Board. Currently, Javier Solana (also CFSP High Representative) appointed at the agency's foundation (July 12 2004)
- Steering Board: The agency's decision making body, composed of the defence ministers of participating Member States together with a representative of the European Commission and led by the Head of the Agency[5].
- Chief Executive: Head of staff and responsible for supervision and co-ordination of units. Currently Alexander Weis[6].
As of 2007, EDA has a staff of around 100.
History
The European Defence Agency is a continuation of the work of the Western European Armaments Organization (WEAO) and the Western European Armaments Group (WEAG) - it effectively represents the transference of their functions from the WEU to the EU framework, and thus continues the decommissioning of the WEU.
Head of EDA
Chief executives of EDA
See also
External links
References
- ^ EUobserver.com
- ^ European Defence Agency europa.eu
- ^ Background eda.europa.eu
- ^ European Defence Agency eda.europa.eu
- ^ Background eda.europa.eu
- ^ New Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency Appointed eda.europa.eu 24//05/07
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