European Defense Trends: Budgets, Regulatory Frameworks, and the Industrial Base

The international security challenges facing European governments are more complex than ever. In parallel, the economic recession has forced governments to make difficult choices in their defense budgets that will greatly affect their near- and long-term military capabilities. An understanding of the budgetary, regulatory, and industrial base trends in the European defense market is therefore more critical than ever.This comprehensive report analyzes national defense budgets of 37 European countries, the European defense acquisition regulatory environment, and the European defense industrial base between 2001 and 2009. It integrates the analysis of these elements to provide a broader basis for assessing past and future trends in European defense policies and capabilities. Based on these groundbreaking and data-driven assessments, the report provides new insights and opportunities for developing European defense capabilities.

Guy Ben-Ari is a fellow and deputy director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at CSIS. David Berteau is a senior adviser and director of the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group. Joachim Hofbauer is a research associate with the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group. Roy Levy is a consultant with the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group. Gregory Sanders is a research associate with the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group.