19 EU Countries OK Defense Product Transfers Law

BRUSSELS - Nineteen European Union member states have so far told the European Commission that they have adopted the EU'S Directive 2009/43/EC, which aims to simplify the terms and conditions of transfers of defense-related products in the EU.

That was one of the main points set out in a Dec. 9 meeting summary record of a committee set up to track the directive's implementation progress. The meeting was attended by all EU member states except Greece and Slovenia.

According to the summary record, "the majority of the member states that have not yet transposed the Directive explained that the work for transposition is well under way" and added that "this should allow them to meet the implementation deadline of 30 June 2012."

During the meeting, the commission demonstrated a new central register of certified defense undertakings. This will be made up of a restricted site and a public part on the EU's Europa website.

The public site is due to launch in the first quarter of 2012.

"The central register is for all EU defense companies that have been certified [nationally] so that they can benefit as receivers of general licenses [for defense product transfers]," a commission official said.

The summary also refers to a commission task force whose job is "to ensure, inter alia, a smooth transposition and effective implementation of the 2009 Defence Package encompassing the public procurement and transfer directives."

The task force is chaired by Directorate General (DG) Internal Market and DG Enterprise and includes DG Competition, DG Trade, DG Research, DG Home, DG Move and the Joint Research Centre.

"The idea is to build the directives and ensure coherent policy in all the commission DGs and to see what else the commission can do to support the deepening of the European defense market," a commission source said.

Despite rumors of a second defense package, the source said that "this was not on the agenda" but that a work program was being prepared.

The next official meeting of the task force is in early March, when the work program will be discussed in more detail.