European Defence Agency
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 12 July 2004 |
| Jurisdiction | European Union |
| Headquarters | Brussels, Belgium |
| Annual budget | €30 million (2009) |
| Agency executives |
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| Key document | |
| Website | www |
The European Defence Agency (EDA; French: Agence européenne de défense, AED) is an agency of the European Union (EU) based in Brussels, Belgium. Set up on 12 July 2004, it is a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) body reporting to the Council of the European Union. Its primary role is to foster European defence cooperation.
The European Defence Agency is part of several decades of steadily more formal defence cooperation in Europe. Its work is a continuation of the work of the Western European Armaments Organization (WEAO) and the Western European Armaments Group (WEAG) – it effectively represents the transference of their functions from the WEU to the EU framework, and thus continues the decommissioning of the WEU. It may also be seen as growing out of the Eurofighter Typhoon project, and other collaborative defence efforts.
Dr. Javier Solana was the inaugural head of the EDA, a position which he maintained from 2004 to 2009. He was succeeded by HRUFASP Baroness Catherine Ashton, who was succeeded by Federica Mogherini.
The inaugural civilian Chief Executive Officer was chosen as Nick Witney, a position he maintained from 2004 to 2007. Herr Alexander Weis succeeded him, from 2007 to 2010. The post of chief executive was vacant from October 2010 to January 2011, when HRUFASP Catherine Ashton appointed Claude-France Arnould in succession to Alexander Weis. It was reported that this nomination had been blocked by the Italian government of Enrico Letta which wished to see its own candidate take up the post. Arnould left office in February 2015 and was replaced by Spanish diplomat Jorge Domecq.
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