 Thank you very much for your introduction and it's a great pleasure to be with you today. It was, in fact, for me a very important day and the seminar I attended this morning and the meetings we had afterwards really show our relationship, ideal relationship with island is important. And the way island is in a position to contribute and to support what is done in the field of capabilities at the EU level, I think it's key for our global success. Your institute is a leading think tank. The EDA delivers defence capabilities on the face of it. We have quite different roles, responsibilities and objectives, but in one important respect I would say that we have something important in common. The IIEA, is it properly? Yes. acts as a catalyst for new thinking, new solution and new policy options. And the EDA is also a catalyst for change and for identifying new and innovative solutions to complex demands. I hope today to be able to demonstrate to you how we in the EDA are working on innovative ways, to meet the increasing challenges faced by our member states in the area of defence and security capabilities. But perhaps first the first explanation of who we are and what we do, but I will try not to repeat what I said this morning, but nevertheless because none of, not all of you know EDA very well, as you said it is rather recent, a very young structure. We have been in place for 2004, then it's seven years now, we are fewer than 120 people, which is very small compared not only to EU standards, but to other organisation standards. But I think in a way it is an asset, because it provides firstly for flexibility, secondly for also combining our own expertise in EDA with the expertise of the member state. We are a small team combining different kinds of expertise and we reach to member states and bringing their experts to what we do. It's what is traditionally called bottom up approach and we have this chance to have these interactions at the experts level, our experts supporting the experts from the member state and vice versa. And also the fact that we have as a board the ministers of defence I think gives more top down approach that is that we do what the ministers want EDA to do and particularly in a field which is very much of a sovereign field for our member state, it is their sovereign decision to decide what we do in the field of capabilities for defence forces and they tell us what they want us to do in this board where they have the lead. We are an agency of the council that means that we are an intergovernmental agency again responding to the defence ministers and at different levels to the capabilities directors, not directors and working very much in cooperation with the other EU actors, particularly in the field of capabilities. Our annual budget is small, it's 30 million euros, but whether we have 30 million euros or 31 million euros I think it's always better to have the minimum resource to operate properly. But nevertheless what is even more important than this budget and I think that very often it's not known is that on top of this money the member states come and pool additional money on the projects they have direct interest to cooperate about and that's why with this again small structure, small budget we are very much a force multiplier catalyst for more work together. The way we work is both for many issues to do it at 26 member states, as you know we have 26 member states that is we don't have Denmark, Denmark having a knocked out, but we have a very strong relationship with Norway which is an important player and for instance in the field of research and technology in fact Norway contributes even more than most of the member states. And we can then on some issues we work with those 26 member states. Other issues and it's what I call à la carte, we have the possibility and I think it's very important to work with just member states who are interested, which are interested and it can be three, it can be four, it can begin with a certain number of member states and then afterwards some have begun at a quicker pace and others can follow afterwards. And I think it's a very, it's a great asset. Our job is to support the improvement of European capabilities by harmonizing requirements, promoting research and technology collaboration, enhancing equipment collaboration and strengthening the European technological and industry and basis. Research and technology first, it's beginning, it's normally capability driven, we cannot afford to have research and technology per se, but considering capability requirement and the perspective of the development of capability requirement for the future, we have to support research and development. In this very difficult moment of financial constraints, this role about research and technology is key because of course with the financial constraints that our member states face, plus the commitment they face because our armed forces collectively in the European Union are now deployed very largely for different kinds of operations. Then they have to face the financial crisis, the present deployments and the development of capabilities to face future threats, challenges, requirements, needs. And of course the preservation of the effort on research and technology is key because we are working now on the technology that will be needed in the defence platforms of tomorrow. One element, then that is beginning with research and technology, having the programme for that, for supporting the programme, the equipment, our collaboration with an agency that is not perhaps well known but is worth mentioning such as AUKAR is important because AUKAR manages programme. And it's very pragmatic and there is a complementarity, EDA working on research, maintenance, training, but when there is a common programme between European member states the possibility for AUKAR to manage the programme and they have the resources to do so. And then throughout the life of the capability of an equipment we go to maintenance and training. I think maintenance and training are very important, they are a more and more important part of the cost that we have to face. They are also the key element for deployability, I come back afterwards to training then it's something that we have to follow again throughout the work of the agency. And last element is industry and market, it's very important, we cannot have defence capabilities in the European Union if we don't have a well functioning European technological research and technology defence base. And we work on that and I perhaps come back to that perhaps also in the questions. As I said we are an intergovernmental agency but at the same time we are part of the EU family and I think that our work with the rest of the EU family is very important and particularly to get synergies between what is done in the civilian field and what is done in the military field. The EU has a policy on research and technology, very important, the research and technology framework programme, PCRD, and policies which will have a very strong impact on defence. I won't mention everything, particularly single European sky, the way that the sky will operate in the future decades will be quite different and it will be a big challenge for our military assets to be able to operate in this new civilian airspace. For that we work together with the Commission, particularly in the field of research and technology, we created together with the Commission and also the European Space Agency, the European Framework Cooperation to have the possibility to synchronise the activities in the field of research and technology of the European Commission, of the EDA and of ESA. It is particularly relevant for issues such as space, including the communication as not only observation, satellite observation but satellite communication, it is key for CBRN, it is key for maritime surveillance, those two programmes for which we have activities in EDA, but at the same time there is a civilian dimension that is supported through the EU research project. I particularly welcome the decision, half of EDA that was taken for Ireland to be part of this very important project, maritime surveillance and CBRN. The synergies are also on such issues as UAS, UAS are not only military capabilities, they can play a key role, an unmanned aircraft system, a very key role including for civilian issues. When you have a disaster, a UAS can be operated above the disaster, be it a fire, be it a nuclear disaster like the one which happened in Japan. And on all those, I would add also, sorry, cyber protection, which is also a domain on which there are some EU policies, of course, national policies and we are progressively developing our activities within EDA, particularly on awareness, on training and also in using the kind of knowledge we could develop on CIS or NEC issues to cover both the technological aspect of cyber and also the awareness, the training elements. Then we have these synergies and I think we can build on this synergy with the other members of the European family. Now we are at a particular moment for EDA but for our ministries of defence, the financial situation is very difficult for all our member states, absolutely all our member states and the impact on the defence budget will be very severe and then the cuts will be more or less everywhere in our member states. At the same time, the challenges increase both the operational deployments that I mentioned but also the fact that for the future, again, threats do not diminish. In a way, they are more complex, they are very important and what the European Union can bring to this threat is particularly relevant because of this complexity I mentioned, we have to address, if I take a threat such as piracy or terrorism, we have to address comprehensively both the effects, the symptoms of the danger but at the same time try to address the roots. That's why in a way the EU is particularly relevant to address those kinds of challenges we have for the future and to include in the response we give to those challenges the capability to deploy, including forces and appropriate action with armed forces. Ireland has played a very important role in CSDP in general, particularly by its participation to operation and it's very much about being able to commit, to engage, to defend our values, be it humanitarian, be it the way that we want together in the European Union to support effective multilateralism. We know how important it is for Ireland, Ireland plays a particular role in that regard and really the fact that we would have the capabilities within the European Union to respond to this responsibility is key. The speech of the American Secretary of State has been very often mentioned as a wake-up call. I was in the United States, we were together in the United States with Graham Muir 10 days ago. It's not a criticism, it's just facts. The United States will not do the job instead of us. And then because of that we have to be able again to address some kind of commitment of challenges and to commit with European capabilities able to be sustained independently. And that is of course a big challenge. That's why you have now this very strong political impulse that has been given to doing more together, more with less money and then to pooling and sharing. And EDA, from which I have described and for the mandate we have from the very origin and that has been reinforced specifically by the ministers recently on pooling and sharing. And we are really the place from which the member states can be supported on pooling and sharing. And if you take the traditional, well the shortfalls that are in a way traditional shortfalls for operation, they have been highlighted again in Libya. But they were already there including when Ireland took such an important role in Chad, it's about mobility. Then it's helicopters. What we are doing in EDA with a strong support from our member states on training of helicopters is key to have this mobility. Be it one for a NATO operation such as Afghanistan, be it for an EU operation, it was very important in Chad, question of helicopter was a key question, but also be it for all kinds of needs that we could have for helicopters and even simply to have properly trained crews when we want to operate helicopter action. We have in EDA another action that I didn't mention this morning, which is helicopter wing. It's not only to have a cooperation between one kind of helicopter, but to have to find ways to pool maintenance, to pool slots, to pool all the logistic support for different kinds of helicopters. That is one example about mobility. Air transport, strategic air transport, same shortfalls, EDA is working on EATF, European Air Transport Fleet. Again in a very pragmatic way, kind of star alliance of strategic air transport amongst member states. A very important issue that has been again highlighted in the operation of some of our member states in Libya is ISA, Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance. It's key. You cannot operate without knowledge of the terrain, particularly if you operate in the framework of a humanitarian action. You cannot allow for lack of precision. You cannot allow for casualties. You cannot allow for horrible expression, collateral damage. Then you need the precision and the knowledge that provides ISA. That's why I think we really have to concentrate on this, the different elements of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. Other shortfalls were again capability lacks, were again highlighted again during our EU operation or more recently. Our intention in EDA and we were encouraged by the reaction of the defence ministers, including last week in Poland, would be to come now, when I said now is at the end of the semester, on the 30th of November the defence minister will meet again, with sometimes in a way modest, progressive, but very concrete steps to address those shortfalls that I mentioned and to try now to use this momentum to show that pulling and sharing is not only an intention, is not only a good idea, but it's something that we do now and we already, I think, are in a position to obtain some deliverables before the end of the year. I think it's very important for us Europeans to maintain our momentum. It's also very important, for instance, it's a transatlantic relationship to demonstrate to our American partner that we take it seriously. Again, we won't solve everything in the financial crisis within a few weeks, but nevertheless we address it seriously and we have first steps. I mentioned the transatlantic relationship. Our relationship with NATO is important. Many of our member states are members both of NATO and of the European Union. They expect us, EDA, to facilitate their life and then to avoid duplication. And we work what there are some institutional complexities, but pragmatically between NATO and the European Union and EDA, we try to work again at level of staff to avoid duplication, to find complementarity, to try and delineate what we can do best on both sides. We do it at the level of ACT, of the International Secretariat, I think it's very important. And we do it also, which is perhaps even more important, at the level of experts. And then we find ways in this situation where they have in NATO the Smart Defence Initiative and we have in the European Union the Pulling and Sharing Initiative to find ways to present to our member states a good, well-staffed proposal against trying to avoid duplication between the two organisations. I mentioned the market issues. I think it's very important. Because what can trigger commitment in the field of capabilities for security is firstly that this capability serves the security of our cities, the first element. Second element, it is that they serve our values. It's what I described, the fact that we should be able to act in the framework of the UN to support, again, effective multilateralism, to go for humanitarian operation and also to protect our citizens wherever they are. But the third element, to be honest, is also that we have an industry and jobs are at stake. When you discuss with our colleagues on the other side of the Atlantic, you ask them, how can you have support for your defence budget? Well, they answer very candidly jobs. And I think that we need that too. That's why it's very important to work on the industrial basis to support all the components of our industries. That is, well, some member states have bigger industries, other member states have SMEs and I really think that we have to combine the strengths coming from both big operators, of course, but also SMEs. And we had the opportunity this morning to see how we can, and they are still continuing to work, how we can support from EDA, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise because they can contribute very much to innovation. Then we have different instruments to do so, to make sure that they have equal chances from the tenders coming from government, but also in the supply chain and also fostering transparency. Last element perhaps about industry, we are going to revise our strategy on the EDTIB, the industrial, technological and industrial basis. We are also trying to help our member state to have the best benefit of the combination of the defence package, making a single European market for defence goods, but also preserving the specificity of the defence sector through the article 346, that is, again, both benefiting from a more open market, but at the same time protecting the fact that there is an operational sovereignty for defence goods. They are not goods like other goods. I think that I would like to leave more time for the discussion. Again, what we try to do is to concentrate on everything that would be of direct interest now for our member states and then to work on this synergy, on the research and technology, on the pooling and sharing, on the market and industry issues, again, to support them in this difficult moment and particularly to try and work with the capitals, with the member states participating to our board, but also with the commission and the parliament working on the same issues. I would propose if you agree to stop here for having time for questions and just to conclude that, again, I think we are at an absolutely key moment. What I mentioned, that is the fact that we can have some results now is probably ambitious, certainly ambitious, but I'm absolutely determined to ensure that EGA builds on its achievement to deliver results responding to the present situation. And I think that today, the day we had now, illustrate the fact that we have a very strong commitment from our member states and, again, with a different nature of contribution, but I'm really, it's a big encouragement today in Ireland to see that we can find a way to support Ireland and that Ireland will be, again, an important player, has been already but will reinforce the cooperation in EDA more specifically, as Ireland does it for CSDP and for EU policies, more at large. And thank you again. Thank you very much indeed.