30 November 2021 I 09:30 – 12:30
Online via WebEx

Register here

The European Union’s new defence initiatives, including Permanent Structured Cooperation
(PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), aim to increase cooperation between Member
States and the defence industry, where joint investment in research and capability development
is crucial. The Republic of Slovenia supports the position that upgrading the European Defence
Technological and Industrial Base, founded on the inclusion of small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs), is especially important for countries that do not have their own large
dedicated defence industry.

The forthcoming EU Strategic Compass, which aims at directing and operationalizing various
defence initiatives and harmonizing them in a common European crisis response, will not only
evaluate concrete capability projects, but also focus on a defence innovation hub and new
instruments in critical technologies. In order to achieve these goals, it will be necessary to
connect various forms of industry and technological research institutes and universities, where
SMEs will play a key role.

The workshop will focus on the involvement and participation of SMEs in defence initiatives and
resulting consortia to provide mechanisms for maximizing the openness of European supply
chains. The workshop will be moderated by Dr. Daniel Fiott, Security and Defence Editor at the
EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS).

Draft Workshop Programme

SMEs DEFENCE INITIATIVES – AGENDA – 30 NOVEMBER 2021 (draft as of 3 November)