What Are the Main Drivers of Member States’ Defence Procurement Practices? The Dutch Case

The Netherlands has a procurement policy which promotes multinational cooperation and ‘buying European’. This is applied to the Dutch Army, driven by the need to buy the same weapon systems as Germany due to the growing integration of the land forces of both countries. Yet, procuring defence equipment from non-European suppliers – in particular for the Air Force – or from national defence industries (the Navy) is almost standard practice. National political and economic interests as well as the traditional preferences of the armed services are key factors of influence. However, the tendency to connect Dutch national defence industries to wider European levels and the stated policy aim to strive for a Europe that is becoming more self-reliant in defence points to the increasing participation of the Netherlands in European collaborative procurement.