Officials from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy and the European Defence Agency have signed a grant agreement in Brussels today aimed at improving the energy performance of the defence sector. Marking the start of phase 4 of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (2024-2028), today’s signing ceremony formally approves the grant agreement with the European Defence Agency aimed at fast-tracking the decarbonisation of the defence and security sector, by making it more resilient, more energy efficient and more reliant on renewable energy. The grant agreement underscores the potential of the defence and security sector in the clean energy transition and looks to deepen civil-military cooperation on sustainable energy, including on preparedness. Today’s meeting also discussed the priorities of the Consultation Forum in the context of the new 2024-2029 Commission mandate.
The defence and security sector is energy-intensive and consumes a significant amount of energy. It is considered to be responsible for up to 5.5% of the world’s total CO2 emissions. The Consultation Forum’s work, spanning almost a decade, has been instrumental in supporting EU Ministries of Defence in developing sustainable, efficient, and resilient energy models, thus also supporting the EU’s climate ambitions.
The Commission priorities for 2024-2029 identify sustainable prosperity, affordable energy and competitiveness as central themes for the next 5 years, with defence and security cited as a key area of work for the Commission. While addressing its security and defence challenges, the EU can, in parallel, strengthen preparedness and crisis management against the background of a clean energy transition.
The Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector is an EU-funded initiative under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme, which is managed by the European Defence Agency.
The signing ceremony took place at the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy on 11 December 2024. The Commission was represented by Mr Alejandro Ulzurrun, Acting Director for Just Transition, Consumers, Energy Efficiency and Innovation. The European Defence Agency was represented by Ms Nathalie Guichard, Director for Research, Technology and Innovation.
Related links
- Consultation Forum Sustainable Energy
- Political Guidelines 2024-2029
- EDEN Deliverables Phase III
- A new era for European Defence and Security
- EU Defence Industry - European Commission
- Communication on climate and defence
- Military Mobility - European Commission
- Joint Communication on the Climate and Security Nexus
- Safer together: A path towards a fully prepared Union - European Commission
Details
- Publication date
- 11 December 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Energy