February 6, 2023

Council approves administrative arrangement between EDA and the Department of Defence

Source: Council of the European Union

The Council of the European Union approved the draft administrative arrangement between the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the United States Department of Defence (US DoD) with a view to its signature.

The purpose of this arrangement is to provide a framework to exchange information and explore opportunities for cooperation between EDA and the US DoD. An initial scope of such cooperation includes:

Forum of exchange and dialogue: the administrative arrangement will enable a substantial defence dialogue on all topics within EDA’s remit, and invitations for U.S. DoD to attend relevant meetings of EDA’s Steering Board and vice versa.
Specific activities such as: consultations on the registration of chemical substances (e.g., EU REACH regulation), military mobility, supply chain issues and the impact of climate change on defence. The cooperation also includes participation in the open sessions of the European Defence Standardisation Committee.

The scope of cooperation may, upon mutual consent, progressively develop in the future. Currently, activities falling under the areas of capability development, as well as research and technology remain outside the scope of cooperation.

The arrangement confirms the significance of the transatlantic partnership in security and defence and reflects the importance of a stronger and more capable European defence that contributes to global and transatlantic security and is complementary to NATO.