📋 Tender Overview
Minister of Defence Yuriko Backes travelled to Brussels for meetings with European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius and Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Security and Defence Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann.
At the Berlaymont, Minister Backes had a first bilateral meeting with European Commissioner Andrius Kubilius. The discussions focused on strengthening the European defence effort, as well as financing options, in particular through the White Paper on the future of European defence that Commissioner Kubilius will present in mid-March, together with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas. They also discussed expectations for the European Council on 6 March and the importance of achieving a concrete result. Minister Backes supported the Commission's ambition.
In view of the threats Europe is facing, Yuriko Backes noted "the urgency of strengthening the EU's defence preparedness as well as filling the identified European capability gaps."
Regarding the defence industrial and technological base and the European defence industrial strategy, Minister Backes stressed that "in our common effort to strengthen the European defence industry, we must particularly ensure the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises, which play a crucial role in our supply chains and for the EU's innovation capacity."
Commissioner Kubilius and Minister Backes discussed the EU's relations with NATO and the United States. Yuriko Backes described recent statements by representatives of the US administration as worrying, while stressing that the transatlantic dimension is important for European and Euro-Atlantic security. Recent developments in relation to Ukraine were discussed and Minister Backes stressed the key role to be played by the EU, both as a participant in any potential negotiations and as a provider of support to Ukraine.
Minister Backes welcomed the recent developments in the European satellite communications project IRIS2, whose concession agreement with the SpaceRise consortium , led by SES, was signed in December 2024: "This project is of particular importance for Luxembourg. We are delighted to host one of the control centres and to participate directly in the project alongside our private industry."
In the European Parliament, discussions with the Chair of the Committee on Security and Defence, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, focused on the role of the European Parliament in strengthening European preparedness, the latest developments in the United States, NATO-EU relations as well as the war in Ukraine.
The Minister of Defence also met with the Luxembourg member of the European Parliament, Charles Goerens, for an exchange on current European issues.
