Defence R&D advisory group missing in action

The European Commission has failed to set up an advisory group for the EU’s defence R&D programme, almost a year after the deadline for applying to join the group passed.

The Advisory Group for the Preparatory Action on Defence Research was meant to meet for the first time in May or June 2017, its entry on the Commission’s register of expert groups says. But the Commission told the news website EU Observer that selection of the group’s members is “still ongoing”.

The original deadline for applications for the group was 21 April 2017, EU Observer reported on 19 April. This was then extended to 15 May, which the Commission told the website was “to achieve a better mix of expertise and a wider diversity in terms of geography, gender and types of stakeholders and representatives”.