European Defence Agency (EDA)

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is an agency of the European Union created on July 12th 2004. This institution belongs to the second pillar of the EU, the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Its Head is the Secretary General / High Representative for the CFSP, currently Javier Solana. The EDA’s Steering Board is made up of the Defence Ministers of the 24 participating Member States (all EU members except Denmark) and a member of the European Commission/DG Industry. There are also other formations of the Steering Board, for instance in formation of the National Armament Directors, which is the Délégué Général pour l’Armement in France.

This Agency is in charge of supporting the development of the European military capabilities to underpin the European Security and Defence Policy, the military and security component of the CFSP. It is organised in four directorates on defence capabilies, research & technology, armament and industry/market. Thus it covers all the fields necessary to carry out a Comprehensive Capability Development Process (CCDP). To this end, it works closely with the EU Military Staff and the EU Military Committee.

Currently around 100 personnel strong, the Agency is based in Brussels.

Some more information

The Code of Conduct on defence procurement:

The principles of the Code of conduct were approved by Defence Ministers at an EDA Steering Board meeting on November 2005. As of 1st July 2006, it will commit suscribing Member States (sMS) to maximise fair and equal opportunities for all suppliers having a Defence and/or Technological Base on the territories of other sMS by publicising procurement opportunies on an e-bulletin operated by the EDA and setting transparent criteria for selecting bidders and awarding contracts.

The scope of the Code of Conduct covers all contracts passed in exemption to the Community public procurement directives (corresponding to the contracts passed under the "Defence decree" (Décret Spécifique Défense) in France) over 1 M€, excluding R&T, CBRN, nuclear propulsion, cryptographic equipment and cooperative projects. Further exceptions to the principle of publication on the EDA e-bulletin will be allowed in case of pressing urgent operational needs, follow-on contracts or compelling reasons of security.

The contract notices on the EDA portal will have no legal value and are intended only as a mean to increase the visibility of contract opportunities to sMS suppliers.

They will redirect to the national official bulletin notices for details, the French marketplace "Service public defense" with its access armament portal IXARM in the case of France.

More about