Sir,

Karl von Wogau's article “Plugging the gaps in Europe’s defences” pointed to the positive role of the European Parliament in shaping a genuine European security and defence policy. He is right, but national parliaments also have an important part to play.

 

The UK House of Commons Defence Committee, which I chair, hosted a conference in London last November to bring together the chairmen of parliamentary EU Defence Committees, to which Karl von Wogau came. We focused on the lessons to be drawn from three areas of European activity: The EU peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the multi-agency response to Darfur; and the establishment of the European Defence Agency (EDA).

 

The experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina underlines the importance of co-ordination of civilian and military measures. EUFOR’s successful military operation has created a safe and secure environment. The military operation has progressed hand-in-hand with economic and democratic reforms, which have themselves depended on the greater leverage the EU can apply.

 

Hilmar Linnenkamp, Deputy Chief Executive of the EDA, gave us an upbeat but realistic appraisal of the agency's work to date. I note Karl von Wogau’s concern that it may have too much on its plate, and although its programme is undoubtedly challenging, ambition is the key to success.

 

Karl von Wogau suggests that the most pressing need is for mutually compatible and fully interoperable satellite-based telecommunications and intelligence-gathering systems. I agree that this is crucial; developing effective but secure network-enabled communications will be a major challenge in the next decade. And it is not the only challenge; there needs to be the political will and the mutual confidence to share the intelligence received. My committee is looking closely at the plans for the extension of ISAF’s role in Afghanistan next year, when communications between NATO partners is likely to be a key issue.

 

I would also mention the need for the rationalisation of national procurement methods across Europe, particularly as regards armoured fighting vehicles. Hilmar Linnenkamp told us that the EDA has identified 23 different national projects: This is no way to carry on as it is a recipe for waste, confusion and operational difficulties within multinational forces. This will be a practical test of our commitment to forge a common European procurement policy.

 

Von Wogau argued in Europe's World that the defence tendering process should be “Europeanised”. I would go further and suggest that we need to see a rationalisation of the European defence industrial base – perhaps leading to only two major European defence companies, which could compete with each other and remove from the European procurement process the inefficiencies of political pressure to buy from the national manufacturer. We cannot in any case expect to see the current number of European defence companies survive into the next decade; the market is global.