Brussels Plans a Radical Overhaul for the European Defence Agency

Claude-France Arnould, who helmed the agency from 2011 to 2015, argues that the current structural reforms fall short of the required ambition. She contends that the agency’s leadership position remains fundamentally flawed, burdened by a dual-hatted structure that forces officials to juggle foreign policy with the distinct, technical demands of defense procurement. According to Arnould, the role requires a dedicated political figure rather than a vice president of the Commission.

The agency currently functions as a facilitator rather than a primary engine for major defense initiatives. To evolve, it must move beyond identifying collaborative projects—like loitering munitions—and begin managing high-stakes programs such as the Future Combat Air System. By leveraging its ability to form agile, smaller-scale coalitions among willing member states, the EDA could bypass the rigid, 27-nation requirements that often paralyze European Commission projects.

While critics frequently point to a lack of funding, the core challenge lies in the agency’s operational mandate. Expanding its budget is contingent upon member states formally entrusting the EDA with large-scale development programs. Rather than attempting to replace existing bodies like OCCAR or NATO’s NSPA, the agency’s most viable path forward is to act as the central hub of a procurement network. By defining best practices and coordinating efforts between national coalitions, the EDA could finally shed its peripheral status and become the backbone of a unified European defense industrial base.