buglerbilly
15-06-10, 03:34 AM
Posted by Bradley Peniston | June 14th, 2010
By PIERRE TRAN – French defense minister Hervé Morin called on industry to seek cooperation with Britain and other European countries in research and development as a countermeasure to budgetary constraints and to build large European groups to conserve defense technology in Europe.
French Defence minister Herve Morin at Eurosatory. / AFP photo by Bertrand Langlois
“The real subject is the work that we’re going to do notably with the British, and I hope with the Germans, on the analysis of our European industrial and technological base, and the encouragement we should all make to develop a European defense industry,” Morin told journalists at the Eurosatory show which opened June 14.
The construction of a European defense industry requires deciding which capabilities should remain at the national level and which should rely on a mutual interdependence. The overriding importance was to retain technological competence in Europe, he said.
“We want to push for European cooperation in industrial and technology cooperation and then to build large European groups, or joint ventures and exchanges of equity stakes between European to allow the maintenance in Europe of this industry, which is a major industry,” the minister said.
He said such cooperation was needed in view of the defense budget cuts being made in Germany and the Strategic Defence Review being conducted in Britain.
“The ever-increasing constraints which weigh on defense budgets should encourage defense companies to build new partnerships, to develop new synergies, in France, in Europe and beyond, in particular countries with which we have strategic partnerships and industrial cooperation,” Morin said at the opening ceremony.
France would seek savings of 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in its administrative budget as part of its spending cuts over the next three years, he said.
By PIERRE TRAN – French defense minister Hervé Morin called on industry to seek cooperation with Britain and other European countries in research and development as a countermeasure to budgetary constraints and to build large European groups to conserve defense technology in Europe.
French Defence minister Herve Morin at Eurosatory. / AFP photo by Bertrand Langlois
“The real subject is the work that we’re going to do notably with the British, and I hope with the Germans, on the analysis of our European industrial and technological base, and the encouragement we should all make to develop a European defense industry,” Morin told journalists at the Eurosatory show which opened June 14.
The construction of a European defense industry requires deciding which capabilities should remain at the national level and which should rely on a mutual interdependence. The overriding importance was to retain technological competence in Europe, he said.
“We want to push for European cooperation in industrial and technology cooperation and then to build large European groups, or joint ventures and exchanges of equity stakes between European to allow the maintenance in Europe of this industry, which is a major industry,” the minister said.
He said such cooperation was needed in view of the defense budget cuts being made in Germany and the Strategic Defence Review being conducted in Britain.
“The ever-increasing constraints which weigh on defense budgets should encourage defense companies to build new partnerships, to develop new synergies, in France, in Europe and beyond, in particular countries with which we have strategic partnerships and industrial cooperation,” Morin said at the opening ceremony.
France would seek savings of 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in its administrative budget as part of its spending cuts over the next three years, he said.