WASHINGTON: The United States has warned the European Union that limiting access for American defence companies in European weapons procurement would bring consequences for transatlantic market access, according to a written U.S. submission filed in an EU public consultation. The feedback, submitted on Feb. 13, opposed any move toward mandatory “Buy European” preferences as the European Commission reviews rules governing defence and sensitive security contracts across the bloc.
In the submission, the U.S. Departments of State and Defense said procurement measures that discriminate against U.S. suppliers would undermine long-standing industrial cooperation among allies and complicate combined defence capability development. The document said the United States would reassess how it treats European firms under reciprocal defence procurement arrangements and related U.S. procurement access policies if the EU adopts rules that restrict American participation in member-state defence tenders.
The warning was delivered as the EU accelerates work on reforming the Defence and Sensitive Security Procurement Directive, a framework designed to set common rules for military and sensitive security purchasing across the single market. The Commission launched a call for evidence and public consultation on Nov. 24, 2025, and closed it on Feb. 16, 2026, as input to an impact assessment and a planned revision process tied to wider EU defence-readiness initiatives.
Procurement rules under review
The directive, adopted in 2009, includes provisions tailored to defence purchasing, including requirements linked to security of supply and protection of classified information. The Commission has said the revision aims to improve speed, coordination, and value for money in defence procurement while supporting the resilience and technological autonomy of Europe’s defence industrial base. Commission material on the review notes that defence procurement remains uneven across the bloc and that major, high-value systems are still often purchased outside EU-wide competitive procedures.
EU defence officials have framed the consultation as part of a broader push to remove bottlenecks and reduce administrative friction for urgent capability purchases. The Commission has said it intends to present simplification measures in 2026, with preparatory work linked to an October 2025 defence readiness roadmap and earlier targeted amendments proposed in mid-2025. A public report summarizing consultation responses is expected to be published by the Commission after its review of submissions.
Warning ties to reciprocity
U.S. officials have also raised the issue in public comments, warning that strict local-content or origin-based rules could disrupt allied defence supply chains and joint production. U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Andrew Puzder, who assumed his post in Brussels in August 2025, criticized “Made in Europe” approaches in remarks on Feb. 20, saying such policies would weaken allied defence efforts and hinder coordinated support for shared security priorities, according to a recorded interview.
The dispute over procurement access comes as European governments boost defence spending and seek faster deliveries of equipment, ammunition, and air and missile defence systems, while industry on both sides of the Atlantic remains deeply integrated through components, licensing, and co-production. The Commission’s next steps will determine whether reforms focus on procedural speed and transparency, or also introduce tighter eligibility and preference rules that affect non-EU suppliers and cross-border industrial partnerships – By Content Syndication Services.