Summary: The EDA employs some 170 staff, but through its networks of national experts it engages with around 4,000 defence specialists. The EDA maintains 11 web portals dedicated to this ‘community of experts.’
At stake: Plugs industry, civil servants and military into the EU ‘collective consciousness’ – some portal areas (for example, on sustainable energy policy in Defence) risk being formative as well as informative, particularly where also associated with separate EU funding streams and non-Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).
What they say: “This joint functional approach is combined with a bottom-up expert level initiative and top-down political direction” – EDA
Exposure: The UK is currently not a participant.
Action: Any necessary engagement with the EU on any aspect of CSDP should maintain a firewall with other EU policy areas.
Deep dive: https://www.eda.europa.eu/experts/portals
