THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
Energy is a strategic priority for the defence sector as an enabler of all military activities
Powering military capability in a changing security environment Interview with Denis Roger, Director European Synergies and Innovation, EDA, and Richard Brewin, Project Officer Energy & Environment Systems, EDA, Brussels
The European: Gentlemen, I am grateful that you give me the opportunity to discuss with you about the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) approach on Synergies & Innovation and especially on the evolution in the energy sector, a field on which The European – Security and Defence Union has been accompanying EDA‘s energy activities since 2013.The new European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) would be very valuable for industries. Mr Roger, you are the director of EDA’s Directorate for European Synergies & Innovation (ESI). Your directorate promotes and supports innovative research and acts as an interface between defence ministries and wider EU policies that have implications for defence. Mr Brewin, you are the officer responsible for energy. Let me later come back to you for discussing on what is the precise objective of this programme.
Denis Roger has been Director European Synergies and Innovation (ESI) of the European Defence Agency since 2014. Graduating as an engineer from Ecole Polytechnique, and Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace and Stanford University, he held a range of international, R&T or industry-oriented positions in DGA (the French Defence Procurement Agency), at the European Commission, as the French Defence Equipment Attaché in Australia, as the Dean of Education and Research of a Technology Institute and for defence-related companies. Before joining EDA, Mr Roger worked in the department of the French Prime Minister as the Deputy Head,
Mr Roger, could you inform us a bit about your directorate’s work? Denis Roger: The main missions granted to EDA by the Treaty on the European Union, focusing on cooperative defence capability and technological developments, have not changed, but the European Commission is becoming an increasingly important actor in defence. Consequently, beyond its traditional prioritisation and project promotion activities, EDA focuses increasingly on exploiting civil-defence synergies, minimising impacts of EU policies on defence operations and taking advantage of related opportunities. The ESI directorate has a coordination role in this matter, but all of EDA is involved in this evolution. Energy is a typical illustrative example with the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector organised by EDA and sponsored by the Commission. (ed: see box on page 62) The European: This is indeed a wide field. Trying to illustrate what you are responsible for, let us start with European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). How does EDA support access of defence industry to these funds? Denis Roger: In 2013 and 2015, EDA launched calls for projects responding to 22 technological priorities identified thanks to its expert networks called Capability Technology Groups (CapTechs). The selected projects received free of charge assistance and five of them have already received financial support from ESIF. EDA’s work demonstrated the eligibility of dual-use projects and contributed to pushing the boundaries. The Commission’s Defence Action Plan confirmed that ESIF might also be used in the defence sector.
International, Strategic and Technological Affairs.
The European: ESI supports EDA Member States in research and technology projects. What is the objective and how do you proceed as a partner of other EU Institutions in this sector? Denis Roger: EDA can rely on a wide network of governmental and industrial experts which have the main task to contribute to Defence R&T prioritisation and promote R&T projects in 14 different fields (12 CapTechs and 2 Working Groups on Energy and Cyber). Since the creation of EDA in 2004, about 200 projects representing 1 billion of funding by contributing member states have been launched.
Energy will “continue to
be a strategic priority.” Denis Roger
souce: EDA
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The European: What is new with the development of a centralised EU Defence R&T funding?
