EU-Rüstungspolitik[en] 

To encourage the creation of an efficient defence equipment market in Europe, the Commission in 1996-1997 published two communications on defence-related issues. While the documents elicited concrete proposals from the Member States, immediate European-level action was still considered premature. In a communication issued on 10 April 2002, the Parliament called on the Commission to revisit the issue, and on 11 March 2003 the Commission published its new communication spelling out the long-term needs for a competitive European defence equipment industry to support a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).

According to the Commission, the EU's defence equipment policy should rest on the following key considerations:

• cost efficiency of defence spending
• maintenance of a competitive defence and technological industrial base
• better access for EU-manufactured goods to third country markets
• ethics and fairness in the arms trade
• security of supply
• need to respect Member States' prerogatives in this sensitive area.

The Commission seeks to heed cost-efficiency through the drafting and adoption of a European defence equipment Standardisation Handbook by 2004, and it also wants to start elaborating by the end of 2004 appropriate legal instruments to facilitate intra-Community transfer of defence equipment. The Commission also aims to draft an EU Defence Equipment Framework, overseen by an agency (or agencies), in order to pull together, develop and widen national initiatives and to also utilise Community mechanisms and instruments.

The Commission believes that "Europe's military equipment policy is in no way intended to copy that of the United States". Europe must make more efficient use of its existing resources, and for this end it must seek to harmonise its equipment standards and to create a European defence market. Besides strengthening political and parliamentary controls over the related processes, the Commission also aims to boost military equipment-related research and development, as foreseen in the 7th Framework Programme.

To provide stakeholders with a clear picture of Europe's defence industry landscape, the Commission proposes to launch the monitoring of defence-related industries.

The European Defence Industries Group (EDIG) is advocating the creation of a European Defence Equipment Market (EDEM) - a more transparent and open market within Europe to fulfil military material requirements.