New Directive on defence and security procurement entered into force

On 20 August 2009, the new Directive (2009/81/EC) for defence and security procurement was published in the Official Journal. Member States are now given two years to transpose the Directive into national law. A European Defence Equipment Market is finally becoming reality.

However, since security and defence have traditionally been excluded from the Internal Market, the implementation of the Directive will be a challenge. The European Commission must therefore closely follow the transposition process and develop a stringent enforcement strategy.