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The EU and Australia announced on Wednesday that they will begin discussions on defense and security agreements. Bullock was hoping to do similar deals next week with Canada.
“We greatly welcome the EU’s offer for a security and defense partnership, and Australia will warmly take it and start work soon,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement released following a meeting on the bystanders of Canada’s G7 Summit.
“This will open the door to opportunities for joint defense procurement and benefit both our industry and security,” he added.
Brussels and Canberra highlighted cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where Chinese troops are increasingly active and assertive, and a key pillar of Washington’s foreign policy.
“In an age of rising tensions and strategic competition, trustworthy partners need to stand together,” von der Reyen said in the same statement. “The enduring friendship between Europe and Australia enters today’s new chapter.”
The EU and Australia are currently negotiating a free trade agreement, but SPD talks remain separate.
Security and Defense Agreements (SPD) – like One that the EU signed to the UK last month – It is one of the possible deliverables of the EU-Canada Summit, which will be held on Monday in Brussels between European Commission Prime Minister Ursula von der Leyen, Council of Europe President Antonio Costa and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Hitting the SPD is the first step required for third countries to participate in the EU’s 150 billion euro safe programme to promote joint procurement.
Part of musical instrument EU Preparation 2030 The plan to strengthen the bloc’s defense sector and capabilities includes the so-called European preferences, where approximately 65% of weapons systems purchased by the EU or third country manufacturers must purchase if the SPD is in the bloc.
A second contract is also required to allow participation in the SAFE in the third country.
SAFE has been approved by Member States Later last month and the government now have several months to submit to the committee a joint procurement project they want to participate in. EU executives can then begin releasing money to fund these projects by the end of the year.
France announced on Tuesday that Bulgaria has joined the initiative for the joint acquisition of Thales Radar, aimed at strengthening air surveillance.
“Other countries have already shown strong interest in this approach and are expected to participate in cooperation in the near future with the support of the first partners,” the French War Department said.
