The treaty will simplify international exports for UK defence firms and foster closer ties between the UK and Europe. 

The UK has announced it will join a European defence export treaty that will simplify exports for UK defence firms, a 9 December UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announcement has revealed.  

The ‘Agreement on Defence Export Controls’ will ease the administrative burden of granting export licences between countries signed up to the treaty, which include France, Germany, and Spain.  

This, in turn, will open opportunities for UK defence firms, the MoD said, boosting economic growth in the country’s defence sector, supporting the creation of jobs, and building on ambitions set out in the UK’s Strategic Defence Review in June which outlined the UK’s plan to become a leading defence exporter in Europe. 

“It will provide more certainty for British businesses and supply chains involved in multinational defence programmes, whilst preserving UK sovereignty over key military capabilities”, the MoD said. 

It will also support closer cooperation and coordination on security between the UK and its NATO allies.  

“This agreement will strengthen our crucial defence businesses and make it easier to export to Germany, France and Spain”, the UK’s Minister for Defence Procurement Luke Pollard said.  

“On the back of our frigate deal with Norway and Typhoon deal with Turkey, this new treaty will make it easier for the UK to export our world class platforms. When the government said we would make defence an engine for growth we meant it, and this treaty is yet more evidence of us delivering for British jobs and security”, Pollard added. 

The UK finalised a major deal with Norway earlier this year for the GBP10 billion sale of the Type 26 frigate from BAE Systems to the country, while Turkey also committed to purchasing 20 UK Eurofighter Typhoons for up to GBP8 billion.