Fincantieri and Navantia: agreement to strengthen collaboration in European defense

(To Fincantieri)
02/11/21

Fincantieri and Navantia have reached an agreement for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in order to strengthen their relationship and evaluate the benefits of an expanded collaboration in the naval and maritime fields.

The two companies, both references of the European shipbuilding industry, will evaluate the opportunities related to the Italian and Spanish navies, including joint projects and participation in the development of the next destroyers and other naval platforms that will be part of the future European Defense Force.

The signing of the MoU will take place on Wednesday 3 November, at the Navantia stand at the FEINDEF fair - International Defense and Security Fair in Madrid, between the General Manager of the Military Ships Division of Fincantieri Giuseppe Giordo and the President of Navantia Ricardo Domínguez.

Navantia and Fincantieri are already collaborating on the European Patrol Corvette (EPC) program, to date the most important naval initiative within the European Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project, together with the French Naval Group.

Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, said: “We have long been convinced that in order to cope with the global challenges of the future, we need strong and lasting cooperation at European level in the areas of defense and security. Only in this way will our continent be able to play an increasingly important role and this agreement goes in that direction. We are therefore very satisfied to give substance to a design that can no longer be postponed and to build a collaboration path based on important programs of the two Marines ".

The President of Navantia, Ricardo Domínguez, emphasized “The real opportunity for collaboration that this MoU represents, the first signed between the two companies at this level and with such an ambitious purpose. We aim to strengthen European defense and accelerate the position of the European defense industry, and agreements like this serve to pave the way in this direction ".