Eurodefense Nederland nieuws

  Since the inauguration of the new European Commission in 2024, including for the first time a European Commissioner for Defence Industry and Space, defence developments at the European level have gained significant momentum and speed. A vast array of new regulations and funding instruments are being developed, published, and adopted. T o name a few: the  European Defence Industrial Strategy  (EDIS), the  European Defence Industry Programme  (EDIP) (€1.5bn), the  European Readiness 2030  white paper, the  SAFE instrument  (€150bn), the  waiver on the EMU Stability and Growth Pact  (€650bn), and the  legal Omnibus , which includes plans for simplified procurement rules. While these policies and instruments are being implemented, the European Commission continues developing far reaching plans such as  European Common Defence , a  European Defence Union , a  European Single Market for Defence , a  European DAR...

  Wim van Eekelen Lecture 2026 On 8 April 2026, Member of the European Parliament Bart Groothuis delivered the first Wim van Eekelen lecture during the annual “Kooy symposium” organised by the Royal Netherlands society of Engineers (KIVI) with partners   Arte Pugnantibus Adsum (APA ), the  Royal Netherlands Association of Naval Offices (KVMO ) , Eurodefense Netherlands , Mars&Mercurius , the  Applied Physics Laboratory (TNO ) and the  Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) . The lecture is in memory of Dr. Wim van Eekelen , who built an impressive track record over a 60-year period, consistently prioritising the importance of national defence and European cooperation. His motto in this regard was " We cannot do it alone ". Dr. Van Eekelen passed away in 2025 at the age of 94. Under the title " Knowing What You Want ," Bart Groothuis argued that Europe must fundamentally revise what it demands of itself militarily, now that the decades-long depen...

  By means of the "National Security Strategy of the United States of America" (November 2025), Europe has once again been forced to face the facts. The US invasion of Venezuela and the claim on Greenland do not strengthen our confidence in the US either. So, don't count on U.S. protection and even take into account unwanted interventions and threats. There are additional reasons for Europe to strengthen its self-confidence, as one of the US defence industry's best customers, an important trading partner and investor and potentially a partner in problems elsewhere in the world. "Well-being" is ranked higher in Europe than in the US and we have allowed ourselves to be too dependent on the US. Now let's make ourselves more independent again. What Europe needs today for its security is self-confidence, defence capability, solidarity and unity of defence policy, command and execution. This requires unanimity in political decision-making and a centrally manag...

Bring on the cake and candles: on 11 August 2025, it is 75 years since Winston Churchill called for the immediate creation of a unified European Army in Strasbourg; subject to European democratic control and in close cooperation with the United States and Canada. The never fully ratified treaty establishing the European Defence Community provided for a European security council (the Commissariat) and the formation of a European armed force of 40 divisions with a clearly defined division of tasks and safeguards for the powers of national governments and parliaments, such as conscription or the recruitment of professional soldiers. A common defence budget, military disciplinary law, international barracks, and training are regulated in the treaty in a common European Defence Union. The deployment in relation to the United Nations, NATO, and disaster relief is also clearly elaborated in the text. As its main objective, the treaty mentions nothing less than the maintenance of internatio...

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the passing of our honorary president, Dr. W.F. van Eekelen (February 5, 1931 - June 25, 2025) Diplomat (1957-1977) State Secretary for Defence (1978-1981) State Secretary for European Affairs (1982-1986) Minister of Defence (1986-1988) Secretary General of the Western European Union (1989-1994) Member of the Senate for the VVD (1995-2003) Royal decorations include: Commander in the Order of the Netherlands Lion Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour In this difficult time, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. Wim van Eekelen, founder and long-standing president of Eurodefense Netherlands, has left an indelible impression on all of us. Brilliant in his views, a visionary and diplomat with a very warm heart for European and NATO defense cooperation. His wise counsel and pleasant presence were always a source of inspiration and support. We highly valued his insights and guidance and will cherish them in our conti...

On 9 april 2025, Jan Wind (president Eurodefense Nederland and president of the Federation of European Defence Technology Associations (EDTA)) had the opportunity to speak on European Cooperation at the Digital Innovation Summit. During his speech, he explained new intended policies of the European Commission, comments on these proposals as well as several technical issues and recommendations for solutions. European Union Policy Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, European authorities have become increasingly aware of the growing threats to our Union. NATO says we are between peace and war. In this twilight zone, hybrid attacks occur often. Sometimes physical attacks, but numerous cyber-attacks take place every single day on our continent. These attacks target the armed forces, but also governments, critical infrastructure and numerous companies. You all know that . In response, the new European Commission developed an unprecedented programme now called Readiness 2030. On 19 Ma...

It is crucial that the European Union moves quickly and collectively towards a Defence Union, creates a robust military structure for this purpose, and jointly purchases and maintains capabilities. In doing so, it is necessary for all member states to put European interests first with a bit of altruism. The fragmented industry can be made more effective by concentrating it in technology clusters, and financing for the expansion of capacities and companies can be better realised with European financial guarantees instead of Eurobonds. Picture; AI generated Europe faces a fundamental choice: remain dependent on the American military umbrella or develop a strong, independent and integrated European defence. This choice is about our sovereignty and security. The past week has shown that this choice could be entirely taken away from us if the 80-year-old American guarantee for our security disappears. The exclusion of European countries in recent peace negotiations and the statements of U...

Het Eurodefense-netwerk heeft met plezier gereageerd op de oproep om input te leveren voor het White Paper van Andrius Kubilius, Eurocommissaris voor Defensie en Ruimtevaart. Dit document markeert een belangrijke strategische stap in de toekomst van Europese defensie en veiligheid. Lees de brief hieronder: 

Everything you always wanted to know about the White Paper (but were afraid to ask) This document from the EURODEFENSE network aims to contribute to the drafting of the White Paper on the future of European Defence, which is indeed a new strategic step. It should be underscored the added value of UK’s integration into the EURODEFENSE network The White Paper should be as comprehensive and ambitious as possible, to take account of the necessarily high degree of urgency while remaining compliant with EU Treaties and ensuring the most efficient possible use of public money. While it is universally agreed that, in Europe, we need to spend far more and much better, and far more and much better together, we are currently neither spending well nor enough: our inadequate resources are being partly wasted. The White Paper will therefore need to address change of current habits, the self-centered temptations and the many taboos over defence issues. All efforts to deepen defence relations, even if...

Download PDF     An ambitious new European Commissioner for Defence In the current shifting global security dynamics and the increasing recognition of the need for a cohesive defence strategy, we as Eurodefense have taken a proactive stance in advocating for enhanced European defence cooperation. Since the inception of our federation in 1992, we continuously have emphasized the importance of a united approach to defence across Europe. This article intends to be a recommendation to the new European Commission, where Mr. Andrius Kubilius is the designated Commissioner for Defence. According to his Mission letter [1] as issued by Mrs. Von der Leyen, he will draft a white paper on Defence within 100 days after his appointment. The recommendations  in this article   by Eurodefense Netherlands for the European Defence Union , the Rapid Deployment Capacity , the European Defence industry  are based on several policy proposals of the Eurodefense network over the ...

  The absence of a common and harmonised arms export control in the European Union is an issue complicating Member State (MS) exports of military equipment already for a long time. Major combat systems can only be exported when all member MS originating equipment allow the OEM to do so. Sometimes also transport across another MS is also complicated by export limitations of that particular MS. A Eurodefense working group (EWG35) researched this issue in the spring of 2024. Their report contains the  following conclusions and recommendations and was endorsed by the Eurodefense Presidents Council on 22 May 2024: 1. Solid control of arms export is a major government responsibility of our respective Member States, but, if cleared, strong coordinated political support as well is desirable in a very competitive environment. 2. T o achieve a critical mass for our defence industries, arms exports to third countries are of critical importance, just as the progressive establishment of...

The growing tensions in the world, the electoral uncertainties, and above all the war of Russia against Ukraine and its threats to the territories of the Atlantic Alliance, stress the need to urgently improve in quality and volume the European operational and industrial Defence capabilities. This augments the absolute necessity to prepare ourselves as Europeans to the worse scenarios. We definitely need to spend more and better by reinforcing the common requirements among members states. At the same time, any possible defence procurement occasion has from now on to take into consideration the duty to reinforce the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) through more consolidation at the prime contractor level and more competition in the supply chain (European Defence Equipment Market- EDEM) on a long-term vision. For reasons of resilience, restructuring the EDTIB should allow and promote spreading of production throughout our continent. To reach these objectives t...

The Joint Communication of 5 March 2024 on a new European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) is an indisputable step forward, not least for the simple reason that it focuses on the industrial aspect of Europe's defence capability and therefore on strengthening itself and the Alliance.   On 1 June 2024 the Eurodefense network sent the comments below to the Presidents of the European Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Chief Executive of EDA, the director of OCCAR and multiple authorities in Member States of the European Union.  What are the strengths and weaknesses of this communication? We focus here on the founding principles of this Communication and not on its detailed recommendations for implementation, which is the subject of the proposal for an EDIP regulation, which will be discussed within the European bodies: 1. The strategic frameworks , namely the Versailles Declaration of 10-11 March 2022 and the Strategic Compass adopted unanimously by...