Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg's Minister of Defence and Minister for Mobility and Public Works;
Credit: MAE
From Wednesday 7 October to Thursday 8 October 2026, Luxembourg’s Directorate of Defence held the fifth annual general conference of the Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED).
Co-financed by Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence, the Italian Ministry of Defence and the European Commission, IF CEED is an initiative of the European Defence Agency (EDA), launched in October 2021. It aims to transfer circular economy principles and policies from the civilian sector to the European defence sector.
Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg's Minister of Defence and Minister for Mobility and Public Works, during her speech highlighted the importance of transforming sustainable and circular defence from an ambitious concept into an operational reality.
“Luxembourg is continuing its commitment. We are investing in research, development and technology. The circular economy and energy are priority areas of our Defence Industry strategy. We have established new financial instruments to support start-ups, scale-ups and innovative companies active in the defence and dual-use sectors. This approach offers a competitive advantage, strengthens European resilience and that of our armed forces, and contributes to environmental protection. All at the same time,” said Minister Backes.
IF CEED brings together representatives from the defence departments of European Union (EU) Member States, researchers and European industry. After an initial phase focused on developing project ideas between 2021 and 2023, the initiative has moved towards implementing the identified pilot projects.
On the sidelines of the conference, Minister Backes held a meeting with the EDA's Executive Director, André Denk, to exchange views on the Agency's strategic direction, the importance of research and development, and the EDA's ambitions regarding the circular economy.
