The annual conference of the Economics of Defence Chair - IHEDN, which took place on the afternoon of 2 December 2020 at the École Militaire (Foch amphitheatre) and in webinar format, brought together more than 400 participants to discuss the following theme «What kind of European defence industrial policy to meet the challenges ahead?».
The Professor Christian de Boissieu, In his introduction, the Chairman of the Chair's Scientific Advisory Board gave a general presentation of industrial policy, followed by an outline of how this theme would be addressed from the perspective of the defence economy during the conference. He also reviewed the Chair's scientific achievements.
Lieutenant General Patrick Destremau, The Director of IHEDN and Higher Military Education (EMS) then took the floor, stressing the need to work towards international cooperation and a strong Europe.
The first round table, chaired by Jean Belin, the holder of the Chair, brought together the senator Hélène Conway-Mouret (Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces), Thomas Gomart (IFRI), Camille Grand (NATO) and Antoine Bouvier (AIRBUS) on the theme of «Why implement a European defence industrial policy?« .
Timo Pesonen, Director General for Defence Industry and Space at the European Commission, then gave a speech highlighting the European Defence Fund's support for European industrial cooperation.
The second round table, chaired by Julien Malizard, deputy chairholder, with the participation of the’IGA François Mestre (DGA), Stéphane Mayer (CIDEF), Philippe Duhamel (THALES), Hervé Guillou (GICAN), and Kuldar Väärsi (Milrem Robotics) focused on the theme of «What kind of European defence industrial policy is desirable and feasible?».
Florence Parly, The French Minister for the Armed Forces concluded this day of rich debates with a speech calling for work on European sovereignty in defence matters and its corollary, the need for an autonomous French and European defence industry.
The minutes and video of the conference will soon be available online on the Chair's website and at its YouTube page.
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>> Find out more about the Chair's 2020 scientific report <<
