Networking opportunities for Greek companies in Brussels were created by SEKPY, the Hellenic Manufacturers of Defence Materiel Association, as a result of the event it held the day before yesterday at the RESIDENCE PALACE in Brussels.

According to a relevant announcement, the purpose of the event was the promotion of the Greek defence industry within the European borders, networking opportunities and the presentation of cutting-edge innovations in the field of defence.

The announcement (translated from greek):

“The Hellenic Manufacturers of Defence Materiel Association (SEKPY), in collaboration with the Argo network, the Hellenic Network in Brussels, organized with great success the high-profile event entitled “SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HELLENIC DEFENCE INDUSTRY: Empowering Security: Unveiling the Future of Defence with Greek Innovation”, which was held on February 28 at the RESIDENCE PALACE event hall in Brussels.

Participation exceeded all expectations as the event was attended by representatives of the European Defence Agency, senior officials from the permanent delegations in Brussels, the European Commission, NATO, ASD, the Security Policy Committee, other industrial associations, major companies and experts in defence technology and policy.

The presence of many people from the European defence and innovation ecosystem not only proves the genuine interest in cooperating with the domestic technological capital in the field of Defence and Security, but also the important role of the Greek Defence Industry as an essential component of European Defence.

In particular, the event brought together a series of important speakers and experts who shared their views on the present and future of both the Greek and European Defence Industries.

Also read: ASD | SEKPY showcases the Greek Defence Industry in Brussels

The Opening Ceremony of the event included greetings from:

• Mrs. Bakopoulou Panagiota on behalf of the ARGO network
• Mr. Anastasios Rozolis, President of SEKPY
• Mr. Ioannis Vrailas, Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU

Ambassador Vrailas emphasized that the Permanent Representation firmly supports this effort of Greece and emphasized on both the new European strategy for the defence industry, which will be announced, and the Greek Innovation Center, which will be presented by the Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Dendias.

Afterwards, Mr. Francois Arbault, Director – Coordinator for Defence, DG DEFIS/A took the floor. With his speech entitled “Towards a new European Defence Industrial Strategy to increase Union’s defence readiness” he developed his perspective for a new European, Industrial Defence Strategy in light of increasing the defence readiness of the European Union.

Further, Mr. Eleftherios Andreadis, senior official of the European Defence Agency, in his speech on “EDA industry Engagement”, referred to the critical issue of the participation of the European Defence Agency in the Industry.

Then, Mr. Vasilios Tsiamis took the floor on behalf of Ernst & Young, and discussing the subject of “Setting the Scene: Greek Defence Industry and the New EU Defence Status” he talked about the Greek Defence Industry in relation to the dynamics that the Defence sector has developed within the European Union.

Challenges and opportunities for the Greek Defence Industry

The above speeches were followed by a discussion with a panel of experts on the challenges and opportunities in the Greek Defence Industry. The moderator of the panel was Mr. Michalis Ketselidis from the General Secretariat of the European Commission, an expert on defence industry and space issues.

Mr. Ketselidis was accompanied by Mr. Burkard Schmitt, Director of the Defence & Security team of ASD (Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe), Mr. Krastio Preslavsky, Deputy Director of the DEFIS/A2, and Mr. François-Régis Boulvert from NAVAL GROUP’s R&T International Cooperation Development sector.

Then, Mr. Julien Hostin, Director of Naval Group’s Industrial Cooperation and Offsets department, spoke about the experience gained from the participation of the Hellenic Defence Industry in Naval Group’s FDI HN Belharra frigate program with the Hellenic Navy being the end-user.

Following Mr. Hostin, Mr. Vasilios Barkas, Director of DEFEA, referred to the extroversion of the Greek Defence Industry and the role that the DEFEA International Exhibition plays in this.

The speeches were concluded with Professor Stamatis Angelopoulos, Rector of the International University of Greece, and Professor Alexandros Hatzigeorgiou, Vice-Rector for Extroversion and International Relations of the University of Macedonia, who, representing the “Defence Industry, Higher Education and Research Liaison Company” known as “DefencEduNet”, talked about the first institutionalized initiative for the networking between High Educational Institutes with the Defence Industry in Greece, which was a solid position of SEKPY.

The companies

The event concluded with presentations by the SEKPY Member Companies.

In particular, B&T COMPOSITES SA, CNC SOLUTIONS, EIGHT BELLS, ETME, FEAC ENGINEERING, HED ENGINEERING, IANUS CONSULTING, iKnowHow S.A., LOGSTAIL, MEVACO, MILTECH, SCYTALYS, SPACE HELLAS SA and AKMON SA took a giant leap of extroversion by highlighting their technological capabilities and their commitment to innovation, proving at the same time that the domestic Defence industry can be one of the main arms of European defence.

The evening closed with a cocktail reception, which constituted fertile ground for dynamic discussions and networking opportunities.

SEKPY would like to thank the Permanent Representation of Greece to the European Union, Ambassador Vasiliki Gounari, representative of Greece to the Political Security Committee and the Gold Sponsors of the event, NAVAL GROUP and Ernst & Young for their contribution to this initiative.

Special credits go to the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD), the ARGO network as well as to DEFEA – Defence Exhibition Athens for their continued support in the Association’s efforts to develop the Domestic Defence Industry.

The event is considered successful because a wide range of systems, technologies and methodologies were presented by officials of highly prestigious Greek companies, creating at the same time the conditions in which the participants exchanged views and strong networking.

Moreover, the event was by all means a solid start for strengthening the defence and security ecosystem for Europe itself. Through the special topics, all those elements that really redefine European Defence were presented to a great extent.

It is everyone’s wish that this Initiative was the first, but not the last, step in a new effort to restructure the domestic Defence industry, which is an imperative for all Hellenism.

SEKPY is firmly committed to the annual establishment of the event and, in general, to the promotion of the interests of the Defence industry; therefore, it promises to remain vigilant in this direction.”

Also read: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HELLENIC DEFENCE INDUSTRY | SEKPY brings the Greek Defence Industry to the heart of Europe