The European Commission is looking into adopting a strategy that will ease the process of selling weapons.
As governments across Europe increase military spending in response to rising threats from Russia, the EC is considering a scheme similar to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Sales program.
According to a consultation paper first seen by Politico, the FMS-like scheme will build on government-to-government transactions and support European Union member states in acquiring arms from the European Defense Technological and Industrial Base.
In the United States, governments can acquire weapons and equipment directly from Washington through FMS. DOD oversees the sale and draws from its stock to accelerate delivery.
Since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, a study from the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs found that Europe has purchased over $60 billion in U.S. kits through the FMS scheme.
At a recent event, Saab CEO Micael Johansson and Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury called on European governments to reduce their spending on U.S. kits and prioritize acquisitions from European companies.”We can’t be so dependent on the U.S. as we are right now,” Johansson said.