OCCAR-EA Director presented OCCAR at the Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament

On Oct. 15th, the Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament held a debate with Admiral Matteo Bisceglia, Director of the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR). The debate focused on how OCCAR fits into recently launched European defence initiatives and funding programmes e.g. PADR, EDIDP and EDF, which aim to strengthen the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the European defence industry. As OCCAR being an International Organisation but with an European vocation, it was deepened the consequences of Brexit for OCCAR and for the European capacity building. Specifically, OCCAR-EA Director highlighted the key role the United Kingdom plays in OCCAR, being UK not only one of the six OCCAR Member States, but also one of the 4 funding nations in 1998 with the signature of the OCCAR Convention. On the other hand, OCCAR has precise rules for the segregation of information on a need to know basis and Programme specific information are available only among the Participating States and to some key figures in Central Office (e.g. the Director) but according to strict measures that grant the highest level confidentiality. In a nutshell, OCCAR is ready to manage all the programmes that could be committed by the European Union within its defence initiatives, where of course UK is no more involved.