Switzerland is aiming to complete a draft consultation for its potential offset law by the end of June, an official from the Federal Office of Defence Procurement (armassuisse) has informed CTO. The new ordinance will likely come into force in 2026.
The European Commission is threatening to withdraw its €500m proposal to fund short-term defence procurements over concerns that the purchases will sideline European suppliers in favour of “transatlantic partners.” Thierry Breton, the internal market commissioner, stated this month that the EC reserves the right to withdraw its support for EDIRPA at any stage if it runs contrary to the interests of local defence suppliers.
Auditing giant PwC has released new findings on the Eurofighter’s industrial benefits to Spain. The firm was commissioned by Airbus and ITO Aero to trawl through six months of data between October 2022 and March 2023, focusing on the latest-generation Eurofighter’s manufacturing maintenance phases.
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Muslim world’s largest multilateral finance institution, is launching a countertrade system for its 57 member states to exchange civil goods. The “Smart Countertrade System for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation” will build on e-contract technology and a “smart voucher” system to facilitate countertrade deals, IsDB said in a statement.
Finland and Sweden have entered a framework agreement to jointly procure NATO-standard infantry weapons from Sako, the Finnish arms manufacturer. It is one of many recent bilateral initiatives between the two countries to coordinate training, development and ammunition procurement.