Main headlines from this issue

Five contenders for Belgium’s F-16 replacement programme still unsure of IP requirements

The five contenders for Belgium’s F-16 replacement programme remain hamstrung by government indecision. Both the budget and the industrial participation remain unresolved. The government remains concerned about the scope of Article 346 TFEU.....

National Audit Office’s mixed appraisal of Australia’s IP policies

Australia’s heady mix of industrial participation policies has undergone a performance audit by the National Audit Office (NAO). The NAO found that since the programme’s inception, the value and number of Global Supply Chain contracts has risen but remains concentrated among a small number of companies.

EU’S psychopathy: ‘juste retour’ policy to penalise suppliers, but not U.S.

The EU has issued a draft regulation to allow the imposition of price preferences against some bids that include a significant amount of non-EU goods and services. The regulation will apply where bids emanate from a country that the EU determines does not apply reciprocity in procurement transparency and openness. It will allow EU public bodies to discriminate against some foreign bids.

Algerian joint venture with Leonardo-Finmeccanica signals policy shift

Algeria’s Ministry of National Defence and Leonardo-Finmeccanica have reached agreement on the production of AgustaWestland helicopters at Sétif Province in north-eastern Algeria. An MoU calls for the parties to establish a joint venture this year dedicated to the manufacture of light and medium helicopters.

Israel approaches a billion dollars in offsets for F-35 procurement

Reciprocal transactions worth 3.8bn NIS ($993m) have been agreed so far in relation to Israel’s procurement of F-35 fighter aircraft, the country’s MoD disclosed in its biannual report. Since December 2015 new deals amounting to 835m NIS have been signed, marking a 28 percent increase in reciprocal purchases.