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Here are some figures that make up a useful accompaniment to our recent article, “EDA to Launch New European Procurement Code on July 1, 2006.” According to data collected by the EU’s European Defence Agency, its 24 members (all EU states except Denmark) expect to spend a little under EUR 2.5 billion on defense R&D this year ($3.2 billion at current conversion), with only about one-tenth of the money going on collaborative projects in Europe. Total defense expenditure is estimated to be around EUR 180 billion ($230.16 billion at current conversion). “Collectively we are investing less than 1.5% of defense spending in the future of Europe’s defence technological base,” said EDA head Javier Solana. EDA release.

See “Whitney & the EDA React to CSIS Report on European Defense Industry” for more information regarding the EDA’s broader efforts, and the challenges currently facing Europe’s defense industry in the years before the continent’s huge demographic shift.