After more than 20 years since EU member states first discussed the idea of a quick response military instrument, EU Battlegroups are again regaining visibility due to the current institutional efforts to move forward in security and defence.
After gaining approval of the Bundestag on 14 April 2021, the Eurodrone contract between Airbus, OCCAR, and the four Member States, Germany, Spain, France, and Italy will be signed in the coming weeks. The signing of the contract would be a great step forward for the German and European defence industry regarding remote operations and technical interoperability between Member States.
The first measures to counter terrorism were adopted in the 1960s and 1970s to deal with the first attacks that Europe suffered during that period, which led the first nine countries of the former European Economic Community (ECC) to become aware of their individual vulnerability to the new risks. However, it was the terrorist attacks of the 11th of September 2001 which triggered a collective reaction that led to the approval in a few days of the measures that had been blocked for years. This incident promoted the creation of a new legal framework to strengthen international cooperation in criminal matters within the European Union (EU). As a consequence, on the 13th of June 2002, the Council of the European Union adopted the decision on the European Arrest Warrants (EAW) and the surrender procedures between Member States which entered into force in 2004.
In the light of an increasing involvement of EU Member States’ armies on the international stage, the necessity of interoperability has never been more important. Indeed, many critical missions are conducted BOTH in Europe and overseas. These missions rely on secure communication networks for the EU, which are currently fundamentally lacking in certain areas of intervention.
In an increasingly inter-connected world, where communication is key, the protection of such is fundamental. By focusing part of its work on cybersecurity, Sectra is one of the many companies which take on this mission. Today, the company, whose HQ is situated in Linköping, is the main contractor for encrypted communication services for many EU countries and NATO allies, paving the way for new possibilities in the defence sector.
Quartier Reine Elisabeth
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Phone: +32 (0)470 66 24 90
Email: info@finabel.org
