Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CF SEDSS III (CONSULTATION FORUM FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY IN THE DEFENCE AND SECURITY SECTOR - PHASE III)
Reporting period: 2019-10-01 to 2021-03-31
Building on the results of the first (2015-2017) and second (2017-2019) phases of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS), the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Commission launched in October 2019 the third phase of the project. Phase III pursues the implementation of the EU policy and legal framework on energy in defence and reaffirms the Forum as the suitable vehicle to share information and best practices on improving energy efficiency and buildings performance, utilising renewable energy sources in the defence sector and increasing the resilience of defence-related critical energy infrastructure. In Phase III, the Forum also addresses the cross-cutting thematic areas on energy management and policy, innovative energy technologies and identifies the applicable funding or financing instruments for defence energy-related topics. Furthermore, it enables the generation of defence energy-related project ideas and research studies, leading to further collaborative projects among the Member States and relevant stakeholders.
The project explores, in particular, the extent to which the EU energy-related policies, directive and regulations can be applied to the armed forces and the wider defence domain while considering the defence specificities. The Consultation Forum examines how energy management policies and technological progress made in energy can also be successfully applied to the defence and security sector. With the support of DG ENER and CINEA, EDA works with EU Ministries of Defence to:
• foster further the networking between defence and energy experts;
• identify bottlenecks that are preventing the defence sector from fully benefiting from sustainable energy;
• reduce the defence sector's energy costs and footprint and support its transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy model;
• stimulate new ideas for innovative energy policies, strategies and action plans for defence;
• generate ideas for collaborative defence energy-related projects including dual-use synergies within the defence and civilian markets;
• identify and promote potential EU funding sources or other related and applicable funding and financing instruments for supporting defence energy-related projects.
The project explores, in particular, the extent to which the EU energy-related policies, directive and regulations can be applied to the armed forces and the wider defence domain while considering the defence specificities. The Consultation Forum examines how energy management policies and technological progress made in energy can also be successfully applied to the defence and security sector. With the support of DG ENER and CINEA, EDA works with EU Ministries of Defence to:
• foster further the networking between defence and energy experts;
• identify bottlenecks that are preventing the defence sector from fully benefiting from sustainable energy;
• reduce the defence sector's energy costs and footprint and support its transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy model;
• stimulate new ideas for innovative energy policies, strategies and action plans for defence;
• generate ideas for collaborative defence energy-related projects including dual-use synergies within the defence and civilian markets;
• identify and promote potential EU funding sources or other related and applicable funding and financing instruments for supporting defence energy-related projects.
During the period from October 2019 to the end of March 2021, the CF SEDSS III completed the following five deliverables:
• Report of the kick-off meeting;
• Event Organisation Guidelines;
• Revision of the NCPs ToR;
• Report of the 1st Plenary conference;
• Dissemination and Communication Plan.
These resulted from the work done through the following events, organised as part of the project:
• kick-off meeting;
• one plenary conference;
• two physical moderator's coordination meetings with working group team leaders and moderators of the EU Member States, DG ENER and CINEA representatives;
• four moderator's coordination meetings via VTC;
• five working groups VTCs meetings with their respective members delegated from the Ministries of Defence;
• one informal meeting with the CF SEDSS III NCPs.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the implementation of some activities. For example, planned physical events were eventually organised in a virtual format. However, despite the change, surveys showed that the participants found events to be of good quality, and the participation has increased. Also, the EDA ensured the delivery of the main outputs by proactively preparing contingency planning. Topics covered throughout this period include, but are not limited, to energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, protection of defence-related critical energy infrastructure, energy management and policy, energy innovative technologies and funding and financial considerations.
Overall, the implementation of CF SEDSS III activities enabled the Agency to efficiently disseminate and communicate the project's first results to the interested bodies and stakeholders to maximise their exploitation. These activities also contributed to further building a collective consciousness among the EU MoDs regarding the importance of promoting defence adaptation to greener and affordable energy models. In addition to other deliverables, dissemination and exploitation reports, the project also produced the CF SEDSS III Handbook, working group guidelines and several fact-sheets, which provide an overview of the defence energy-related project ideas.
• Report of the kick-off meeting;
• Event Organisation Guidelines;
• Revision of the NCPs ToR;
• Report of the 1st Plenary conference;
• Dissemination and Communication Plan.
These resulted from the work done through the following events, organised as part of the project:
• kick-off meeting;
• one plenary conference;
• two physical moderator's coordination meetings with working group team leaders and moderators of the EU Member States, DG ENER and CINEA representatives;
• four moderator's coordination meetings via VTC;
• five working groups VTCs meetings with their respective members delegated from the Ministries of Defence;
• one informal meeting with the CF SEDSS III NCPs.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the implementation of some activities. For example, planned physical events were eventually organised in a virtual format. However, despite the change, surveys showed that the participants found events to be of good quality, and the participation has increased. Also, the EDA ensured the delivery of the main outputs by proactively preparing contingency planning. Topics covered throughout this period include, but are not limited, to energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, protection of defence-related critical energy infrastructure, energy management and policy, energy innovative technologies and funding and financial considerations.
Overall, the implementation of CF SEDSS III activities enabled the Agency to efficiently disseminate and communicate the project's first results to the interested bodies and stakeholders to maximise their exploitation. These activities also contributed to further building a collective consciousness among the EU MoDs regarding the importance of promoting defence adaptation to greener and affordable energy models. In addition to other deliverables, dissemination and exploitation reports, the project also produced the CF SEDSS III Handbook, working group guidelines and several fact-sheets, which provide an overview of the defence energy-related project ideas.
Defence is a central public sector that consumes a significant amount of energy. Increasing energy efficiency and energy resilience, diversifying the energy supply and boosting renewable energy can bring substantial advantages to the sector and help protecting critical energy infrastructure, while contributing to the EU's climate neutrality goals. Considering the EU's objectives to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and with a view to enhancing the energy resilience and readiness of armed forces, the defence sector needs to use the energy community's know-how to move towards more sustainable energy models.
In its third phase, the Consultation Forum represents the largest European defence energy community providing a unique platform for ministries of defence and relevant stakeholders to share knowledge and promote collaborative defence research and innovation in the field of sustainable energy. The Forum has successfully implemented the objectives set during the reporting period with a positive impact on the MODs efforts to address defence energy-related considerations and the EU's actions to achieve its energy and climate-related goals. Based on the feedback received from the MoDs, the Forum enables several ministries to develop national defence energy strategies, implement energy management systems, increase energy performance of defence building stocks, develop energy efficiency programmes and renewable energy sources projects, increase interest in addressing risks and vulnerabilities related to hybrid threats and stimulate investments in improving energy efficiency in the armed forces.
As a result, the successful work of the Consultation Forum was acknowledged in the June 2019 Council Conclusions and, subsequently, in June 2020, where the Council of the EU invited the High Representative to propose a set of concrete actions to address the links between defence and climate change. As a follow-up, the Climate Change and Defence Roadmap issued in November 2020 included specific actions for the Consultation Forum and acknowledged in this respect its incremental role in enhancing the energy efficiency and resilience of the defence sector, while contributing to implementing the European Green Deal. Apart from this, the CF SEDSS has been acknowledged in the EU's Offshore Strategy and the Action Plan on synergies between civil, defence and space industries.
To address the emerging and future challenges in the field of energy and to meet the expectations of the Council of the EU, the Agency, in collaboration with DG ENER and CINEA, will further intensify its efforts to assist the relevant defence stakeholders to further advance the transition towards more affordable, sustainable and resilient energy models. In the next period, EDA will manage the Consultation Forum in a way to contribute to the implementation of the EU's objectives in building a secure, competitive, and sustainable Energy Union and executing an Energy Security Strategy.
In its third phase, the Consultation Forum represents the largest European defence energy community providing a unique platform for ministries of defence and relevant stakeholders to share knowledge and promote collaborative defence research and innovation in the field of sustainable energy. The Forum has successfully implemented the objectives set during the reporting period with a positive impact on the MODs efforts to address defence energy-related considerations and the EU's actions to achieve its energy and climate-related goals. Based on the feedback received from the MoDs, the Forum enables several ministries to develop national defence energy strategies, implement energy management systems, increase energy performance of defence building stocks, develop energy efficiency programmes and renewable energy sources projects, increase interest in addressing risks and vulnerabilities related to hybrid threats and stimulate investments in improving energy efficiency in the armed forces.
As a result, the successful work of the Consultation Forum was acknowledged in the June 2019 Council Conclusions and, subsequently, in June 2020, where the Council of the EU invited the High Representative to propose a set of concrete actions to address the links between defence and climate change. As a follow-up, the Climate Change and Defence Roadmap issued in November 2020 included specific actions for the Consultation Forum and acknowledged in this respect its incremental role in enhancing the energy efficiency and resilience of the defence sector, while contributing to implementing the European Green Deal. Apart from this, the CF SEDSS has been acknowledged in the EU's Offshore Strategy and the Action Plan on synergies between civil, defence and space industries.
To address the emerging and future challenges in the field of energy and to meet the expectations of the Council of the EU, the Agency, in collaboration with DG ENER and CINEA, will further intensify its efforts to assist the relevant defence stakeholders to further advance the transition towards more affordable, sustainable and resilient energy models. In the next period, EDA will manage the Consultation Forum in a way to contribute to the implementation of the EU's objectives in building a secure, competitive, and sustainable Energy Union and executing an Energy Security Strategy.