The EU’s Defence Procurement Directive makes no mention of offsets, says Dr Aris Georgopoulos, Head of the Research Unit on Defence at the Law School of England’s University of Nottingham…… because they fit the EU definition of an “obstacle to trade” and are therefore incompatible in principle with EU law.
Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers plans to approve legislative amendments within two months to remove offset coefficients, cap the quota to 100 percent of purchase contract value (100 percent is currently the minimum level), and allow pre-offset activities and the banking and transfer of offset credits.
Colombia’s offset policy is youthful, originating in 2007 and modified a year later. Already, though, it is showing signs of stress…. Obligors don’t have to pay the penalty until the fourth year, so after two years they get a timely kick in the pants.
Israel’s Industrial Cooperation Authority (ICA) is focused on generating investment in the country’s northern and southern regions. Gabriel Golomb, the ICA’s Deputy Director General, spoke of the importance of improving employment opportunities for SMEs in those peripheral locations.
His theme this year broadened to claim, humorously, that nine of the fastest growing defence companies are in Europe and more than half of them are buying U.S. companies.
\Finmeccanica has bought DRS [Technologies] Fincantieri bought shipyards BAE [Systems] buys everything that’s not nailed down EADS is very slow for some reason that we can’t figure out.\"