France aims to buy four Global Eye military aircraft, Sweden says
OSLO, June 18 (Reuters) - France communicated its intention on Wednesday to acquire four Global Eye military aircraft, Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said in a post on social media platform X.
Global Eye is a multi-role surveillance aircraft made by Swedish defence group Saab (SAABb.ST), opens new tab.
A sale of the early warning and control aircraft to France will benefit both countries and deepen their interoperability, Jonson said after attending the Paris Air Show.
He did not say when a contract could be signed or how much the aircraft would cost.
NATO members Sweden and France also signed a road map on further defence cooperation, Jonson said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
33 minutes ago
- Reuters
Poor grid planning could shift Europe's data centre geography, report says
PARIS, June 19 (Reuters) - Europe's leading data centre hubs face a major shift as developers will go wherever connection times are shortest, unless there is more proactive electricity grid planning, a report on Thursday by energy think-tank Ember showed. Data centre buildout has exploded in recent years as tech companies race to put together the strongest offering of competitive artificial intelligence (AI) models, which rely on a new generation of power-hungry data centres. This could lead to a geographical shift in investment in Europe as developers look for new places with easier power access and shorter lead times, the report said. By 2035, half of Europe's data centre capacity could be located outside the current main hubs Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin, the report said. This could leech billions of euros in investments from the congested countries, as data centres in Germany contributed 10.4 billion euros ($12 billion) in GDP in 2024 which should more than double by 2029, and it could slow job growth, it said. Only France, is expected to maintain continued data centre investment as the grid remains relatively unconstrained, the report said. Connecting a new data centre to the grid in legacy hubs can take an average of 7–10 years, with some projects facing delays of up to 13 years, the report said. However, wait times in newer markets are much shorter, with Italy taking just three years, it said. "Grids are ultimately deciding where investments go ... they are now effectively a tool to attract investment," said Elisabeth Cremona, Senior Energy Analyst at Ember. "In Europe's push for competitiveness and economic growth, it now needs to be taking into account grids and driving investment to that infrastructure if it wants to see other projects materialise," she said. She added that this is not unique to data centres but covers all industry, as any kind of industry that is either new or looking to electrify is going to go through the same process. In Sweden, Norway and Denmark, data centre electricity demand is expected to triple already by 2030. In Austria, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Slovakia data centre consumption is projected to increase by three to five times by 2035 compared to 2024. ($1 = 0.8692 euros)
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: Pernod Ricard launches restructuring plan as spirits sales slide
PARIS/LONDON, June 18 (Reuters) - Pernod Ricard ( opens new tab is streamlining its business by grouping brands into two main divisions, according to internal presentation slides seen by Reuters on Wednesday, as European spirits makers grapple with a downturn in sales. The French spirits maker told Reuters it had announced an "internal project to create a more agile and simplified organisation". "These changes imply the launch of local consultation processes with our social partners and employees where necessary," Pernod Ricard said. It did not comment on the number of jobs affected or the plan to group brands into two units.
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
EU countries reach deal on new defence funding programme
BRUSSELS, June 18 (Reuters) - European Union governments have reached an agreement on a 1.5 billion-euro ($1.73 billion) EU scheme to fund defence investments, although some complained that its 'buy European' provisions are too restrictive, diplomats said on Wednesday. Governments have wrangled for more than a year over the European Commission's proposal for a European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP), part of a broader drive to re-arm sparked by fears of Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Much of the debate focused on eligibility. France pushed for strict 'buy European' rules to boost European industry while countries such as the Netherlands argued for more flexibility to buy arms from the United States, Britain and other nations. Under the final compromise, at least 65% of the costs of the components of an item funded under the scheme must originate in the EU or certain associated countries, with some exceptions. Ambassadors from the EU's 27 countries are expected to approve the deal on Monday, diplomats said on condition of anonymity. It will then be the subject of negotiations with the European Parliament before it can enter into force. A group of 10 countries - the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Slovakia and Finland - argued that the rules should have taken more account of an urgent need to boost Europe's defences. "We fully support the goal of enhancing European security and resilience through increased defence cooperation and investment," they said in a joint statement. "However, we face an urgent threat to European territory and interests." They said the EU defence industry "still depends - especially in the short to medium term - on critical components, technologies and know-how from like-minded third countries, in particular transatlantic allies". Despite their objections, the countries said they did not want to stand in the way of starting negotiations with the European Parliament. EU officials said the 1.5 billion euro budget for the programme is modest for the defence sector but the criteria were fiercely fought over as it may receive larger funding in future. ($1 = 0.8678 euros)
