During the Latvian Presidency informal discussions will take place in Riga on strengthening the European defence industry and other topical issues among representatives from the EU Member States, the European Commission, the European External Action Service and the European Defence Agency.

The discussions will focus on cooperation in joint procurement, support for research, the engagement of small and medium-sized enterprises in international supply chains and other issues. It is planned that Latvia will organise an additional session in order to discuss future cooperation and coordination possibilities with its cooperation partners, including the USA and NATO. The participants will also visit industry representatives.

This meeting will make a significant contribution to the preparatory work for the European Council discussions in June 2015 regarding development of the defence industry.