Luxembourg Co-Finances European Defence Agency's €784k Circular Economy Forum

Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence has announced that it is co-financing the European Defence Agency's (EDA) new forum for the circular economy in European defence.

The Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED) is a newly launched working group that brings together European Union (EU) Member States' departments of defence, research and European industry. Its objective is to implement both policies and opportunities related to the circular economy in the field of European defence by building joint transnational projects.

These projects aim to enhance the environmental sustainability of Europe's defence sector and contribute to the EU Green Deal by promoting a more efficient use of resources.

IF CEED, which will run for two years, is managed by the EDA and funded by Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence and the European Commission (EU LIFE Programme) for a total of €784,000.

Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Francois Bausch, commented: “Recent assessments have demonstrated that defence sector value chains contribute significantly to the large carbon footprint of defence. Furthermore, in a world of increased competition for scarce raw materials, we urgently need to improve our systems for reusing and recycling these materials".

He continued: "These facts have motivated Luxembourg's Defence to support the establishment of the new Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence. We see here a great opportunity to promote and participate in collaborative projects to stimulate the adoption of circular economy principles in European defence".

Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director-General at the European Commission’s DG Environment, added: “The European Defence Agency’s new forum for circular economy in European defence is a welcomed initiative to support concrete circular solutions in a key sector for the EU. The transition towards a circular economy envisaged by the Green Deal is a truly systemic change, which requires all sectors to transform and reap the benefits that transition brings. With the support of the LIFE Programme, the new forum will help open up new pathways to achieving circularity and green innovation in European defence and potential synergies with civilian crisis management”.