2-day online workshop addressing the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on EU Aerospace and Defence Ecosystem.
Gualtiero Fantoni from Università di Pisa will outline the skills needs for Europe’s defence sector at a 2-day online workshop addressing the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on EU Aerospace and Defence Ecosystem.
The workshop will take place on 8-9 July and is organized by DG DEFIS.
In preparing the needs assessment to inform our Recovery Plan, the European Commission identified 14 industrial ‘ecosystems’, representing around 90% of the business value added in the EU.
The ecosystem encompassing aeronautics, space and defence employs around 870 000 highly skilled jobs (2,5 million direct and indirect jobs)– a large majority of high value. It generates a turnover of approximatively EUR 250 billion.
This high-tech industry has been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. There have been disruptions in the supply chain, falls in demand, launches getting postponed, to name a few. This, in combination with financial issues is threatening the survival of some of this ecosystem’s businesses.
Space, aeronautics and defence are an expression of Europe’s strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty. As these industrial sectors rely on complex and long-term development cycle, high technological intensity, and depend on a substantial part on governmental programmes, this ecosystem has specific needs in the coming years.
Against this backdrop, the Commission’s reflection on how to make our industries more resilient and less dependent, in supply chains and technology, finds a particular resonance in this ecosystem. This reflection, as well as the preparation of the recovery package presented on 27 May, has built on our engagement in dialogue with the actors of the different industrial ecosystems.
It is now the right time to structure this engagement with industry. To this end, DG DEFIS is holding two virtual workshops to address the specific challenges and potential opportunities of this ecosystem.
By bringing together actors across this ecosystem, from large companies to SMEs and startups, from research institutes to academia and from associated service provider to technology suppliers, we intend to set up an open, inclusive and geographically balanced forum.
Other participants would include Commission representatives and the relevant EU external agencies: GSA, ESA.
Workshop on the Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on EU Aerospace and Defence ecosystem
This workshop will hinge around three sessions dedicated to the three arms of the ecosystem: space, defence and aeronautics. During the session, companies, SMEs, research institutes will be given the floor to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities in the changing geopolitical and post-COVID context. Discussions will also contribute to unleashing the potential synergies between the 3 sectors and to outlining some mitigating and remedial actions. Together, the participants will develop a common view on enhancing the resilience of the ecosystem as a whole.
Interested in joining the Space Ecosystem workshops ‘Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on EU Aerospace and Defence ecosystem’? The workshops will take place on 8 July (14:00 – 18:00) and 9 July (9:30- 13:15).
Please express your interests online via this form by 30 June 12:00 (noon CET).
