EuroDéfense-Belgium had prepared an excellent programme starting on 21 May with a visit by the Heads of delegations to the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU, followed by welcome drinks.
On 22 May, we paid in the morning a superb visit in Ostende to EXAIL ROBOTICS, a high tech company specialised in naval drones and countermining ships. This brand-new company is the supplier of counter mining UUVs for the Netherlands and Belgium navies, with the intention to also become the supplier for the French Navy. In the afternoon we had the meeting of the Council of presidents at the Naval Academy. Closing this very busy day , the delegations were hosted for a fine dinner at Club Prince Albert, where was signed the cooperation agreement with the EPIS think tank (https://www.epis-thinktank.de/en).
On 23 May in the morning, within the framework of the Belgium Presidency of the Council of the EU, participants attended a public conference on the topic “securing the future in the age of Cyber and Cognitive Warfare”, introduced by Major General Borremans, commander of the Belgium Royal Institute for Defence, with top level speakers.
Regarding activities, the EURODEFENCE Council approved two Working Groups reports for submission to European Union and national authorities and parliaments : one on “exports of weapon systems” , one “on proposals for implementing the European Defence Industrial Strategy”, including “10 principles for urgently improve European operational and industrial Defence capabilities” and “clustering the EDTIB”.
Regarding observatories, the Council has received papers on Mediterranean Basin, Migrations, Cyber, Arctic, Africa, Space, unconventional Warfare, relations EU-NATO, Russia.
A pleasant and efficient meeting again indeed, thanks to EuroDéfense-Belgium!
