Combining and strengthening European air and missile defence cooperation

18 EU member states have signed a letter of intent to step up cooperation and share the costs of developing common defence systems.

Transcript

00:00Strengthening European air and missile defence capabilities.

00:10This project is now one of the priorities for military cooperation within the European

00:15Union.

00:1618 member countries have signed a letter of intent to pull their efforts in the strategic

00:22sector.

00:25We are talking about all kinds of capabilities, namely anti-missile systems, anti-drone systems.

00:38That is absolutely crucial because to gain advantage in the air defines the war and is

00:46absolutely critical to win a war.

00:50Air and missile defence is the project that has attracted the most interest from the capitals.

00:56The European Defence Agency, which has proposed four areas for action, recognises that the

01:01Union lacks capabilities in this area.

01:05This is because the technologies involved are new and have only recently been put to

01:09use in the field.

01:11The establishment stresses the strategic interest of the project, but also its industrial advantages,

01:17which could be of interest to all member states.

01:20The integrated air and missile defence is a very large set-up of activities.

01:26They can foster many different industrial strengths and projects, and so they are therefore

01:31very much relevant for the European defence and technological base.

01:35And finally, they involve a lot of innovation and new technologies, so it is a great push

01:42for our economy, you know, not only for big industry, but even for small-medium enterprise

01:47and research.

01:49The Agency points out that the effort is not just about military engagement.

01:53It involves risk monitoring and analysis using satellites, communication technologies, and

01:58artificial intelligence.

02:00It also involves space-based sensors and radar to identify threats as early as possible.

02:07The aim is to avoid duplication between member states in the research and development of

02:11these capabilities, and to share the financial effort.