Tag: defence procurement

SPECIAL REPORT / Though civilian airlines are pressing for quieter, more efficient aircraft, noise output is low on the list of priorities for the sector’s military wing, but there are indications that may be changing.

MEPs yesterday (14 January) approved new EU rules to open up national defence procurement to all European suppliers, raising hopes that more transparency and competition will be introduced to this sensitive market. But industry fears the move will damage R&D investment. 

European government representatives have asked the European Defence Agency (EDA) to produce an "Armaments Strategy" to help meet future military needs and share the ever-increasing costs of developing and procuring high-technology defence equipment.

EU governments agreed a landmark Strategy for Europe's Defence Technological and Industrial Base (DTIB) on 14 May 2007, describing it as a fundamental underpinning of Europe's security and defence policy and setting a series of practical steps to achieve their vision of a more integrated and competitive future.

The Commission is to tell member states to open up non-sensitive sections of their defence markets to competition from foreign countries.

The voluntary code of conduct to open EU defence procurement has received backing from 22 EU member states. 

Should the EU start pooling its scarce funding for defence research? EU Defence Ministers will debate the issue at an informal council in Austria. 

EU defence ministers are expected to back a voluntary 'code of conduct' that will push member states into publicising tenders for defence contracts that until now have been limited to national markets.   

The European Defence Agency has urged EU defence ministers to introduce a voluntary code of conduct to boost competition in defence procurement. 

Nick Witney, chief executive of the European Defence Agency has accused the US of limiting transfers of US defence technology while itself benefiting from that of the EU.

The European Defence Agency's steering board has given its backing to create an intergovernmental code of conduct to open up EU defence procurement markets to competition.

How far down the road of competition will Europe dare to let its defence industry go? Is EU-regulation the way ahead? Does it make sense to keep on comparing European defence spending with that of the US? Does the EU get fair access to US defence markets? European Defence Agency chief Nick Witney address the main issues in an exclusive interview with EurActiv.

Europe must liberalise procurement and rationalise its defence spending, not increase budgets to compete with the USA, says EDA chief Nick Witney. 

The EU Foreign Affairs Council has agreed to launch the European Defence Agency later this year with an annual budget of 25 million euro.