390 Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies N. 5 / 2015 3. At the Community level, we should embrace the initiatives that the Commission has launched to create a more efficient European defence industry (not the creation of a common market) wherever a policy has been devised for the defence industry54 (“internal market”, “security of supply”, “promotion of a more competitive defence industry” and “development of capabilities”). The latter two are more relevant to the case of Spain. 3.1. In the development of capabilities area, the country should be involved in initiatives such as the “joint assessment of dual-use capability needs”, “civil and military” cooperation projects and anything that entails “space and defence”. In the area of research, to promote capabilities, the Commission will place hitherto unavailable programmes and funding at the disposal of Member States for defence purposes. 3.2. It is important to monitor the evolution of the funding programmes that the Commission has proposed for SMEs engaged in the defence industry: we will have to assess how Spain could offer an incentive for “industrial restructuring” to medium-sized companies that could provide defence products and services and thus improve their productivity and diversify their product portfolio. All of the aforementioned should be carried out with the capability needs of our defence sector in mind. 3.3. We must look for business opportunities for our industry in the trade agreements that the Commission has signed with third countries. Furthermore, we should also be attentive to the impact of European economic reforms on the defence industry: economic governance, sectoral incentives and above all transatlantic negotiations. 4. We should pay attention both to the development and evolution of European projects as well as the European Defence Agency’s ability to identify projects that can be shared. Within the Pooling and Sharing system (or culture), Spain should exploit to the full any offers to take part in projects within the EDA framework; look for synergies with Member States with similar geostrategic needs and continue with the projects it is already participating in. On this point, since the European Council of December 2013, more initiatives have been launched. Spain is currently taking part in seventeen of these, some of which have significant strategic reach (air-to-air refuelling), others of a technological nature, others to improve training opportunities, most of which are useful 54 EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. A New Deal for European Defence. Implementation Roadmap for Communication COM (2013) 542. Towards a more competitive and efficient defence and security sector. Brussels, 24.6.2014. COM (2014), 542. http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee
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