EURONAVAL 2018

23/10/201802/01/2019 Paolo Valpolini

Euronaval turns 50

Born in 1968 as “Le Bourget Naval”, a Franco-French exhibition aiming at proposing to France and to the world the production of the national naval industry, in 1994 it became “Euronaval” and is now the benchmark of naval single-service exhibitions worldwide. This year event marks the 50^th anniversary of this exhibition, in a moment where the world scenario is undergoing again deep changing, while the sea is becoming more and more important for the world market. Keeping sea lanes of communications is thus a key factor for all main world actors, while regional tensions bring also medium- and small-sized countries to reinforce their control over the neighbouring seas.

Some 470 exhibitors are showing their products at Le Bourget premises, with a 15% increase over the last edition. Sixty per cent of them come from all over the world, representing over 100 countries, half of the international presence being European. Short of 100 international delegations are expected as well as 25,000 professional visitors, maxing Paris the centre of the naval military world for nearly a week. As in other defence exhibitions that took place in 2018, a special area will be dedicated to start-ups, those young and dynamic actors being often proposing new ideas, thinking out of the box being their main characteristic.

For the first time the exhibition was preceded by a conference that gathered many nations’ Navy Chiefs who could discuss the future of the naval instrument.