Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, EDA has reinforced its position as the backbone of European defence cooperation, helping our nations respond to today's challenges while preparing for future warfare. Last year, Ministers of Defence strengthened EDA's role, giving the Agency a mandate to support capability development at every stage. We call it the 2024 LongTerm Review. The Agency now takes on a greater role in joint procurement and innovation. EDA is focusing on five core tasks: 1. Identifying shared capability needs and priorities at EU level to ensure that EU Member States' armed forces have the capabilities they actually require; 2. Encouraging collaborative research, technology, and innovation to maintain Europe's technological edge in defence; 3. Harmonising military requirements and engaging in joint capability development, while ensuring that equipment and assets can be interoperable between Member States; 4. Facilitating joint procurement, enabling Member States to address capability gaps efficiently and cost-effectively; 5. Representing defence interests at the EU level, ensuring that Ministries of Defence have a strong voice in shaping policy.
