Organisation conjointe de coopération en matière d'armement

OCCAR ("Organisation conjointe de coopération en matière d'armement") is a European organisation which facilitates and manages collaborative European Armament Programmes.

OCCAR was established on the 12 November 1996 by the Defence Ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the UK. Legal status was achieved in January 2001 when the parliaments of the four founding nations ratified the OCCAR Convention.

New member-states: Other European nations may join OCCAR, subject to their actual involvement in a substantive collaborative equipment programme involving at least one OCCAR partner and acceptance of OCCAR's founding principles, rules, regulations and procedures. Belgium and Spain joined the organisation in respectively 2003 and 2005.Programme-participating nations: European nations have the possibility to participate in a programme without being a member of OCCAR. This is currently the case for Turkey, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

The highest decision-making body within OCCAR consists of the Board of Supervisors (BoS). The board establishes subsequent Committees and its decisions are being implemented by the Executive Administration (OCCAR-EA). OCCAR-EA employs approx. 200 staff members.

The 7 programmes currently managed by OCCAR are the following:
* A400M (tactical and strategical airlift)
* Boxer (multi role armoured vehicle)
* Cobra (weapon locating system)
* Fremm (frigate)
* FSAF / PAAMS munition (surface-to-air anti-missile system)
* Roland (ground to air missile)
* Tiger (helicopter)

See also

* European Union defence procurement
* European Security and Defence Policy
* European Defence Agency

External links

* [http://www.occar-ea.org/ OCCAR official website]